I've been told “You’ve got unemployable written all over you."

I’ve been to the job centre countless times and was told “You’ve got unemployable written all over you. There is nothing we can offer you.”?

Mencap Myth Buster Brendan wants to start his own charity: but people have a problem looking past his learning disability and giving him a chance.

As a kid, you’re encouraged to dream big. Growing up with cerebral palsy and a learning disability certainly didn’t stop me from doing so - I used to want to be a dancer or a footballer for Arsenal, but after an accident on the pitch and several failed surgeries reduced my mobility, I chose a new dream. Now, I want to set up a charity for people with a learning disability in Zimbabwe, the country where I was born.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get even a little bit further towards that goal because job opportunities for people like me just aren’t available. Time and again, people look at my wheelchair and hear the way I talk, and they assume I can’t do, or understand, anything.

However, I’ve got tons of skills. I’m trained in most Microsoft Office programs; I can use different types of video editing software and I can even make animations. I have experience of working in a busy office, and I’m confident, and great at meeting new people. My role as a Mencap Myth Buster, which I really enjoy, helps me get my voice out there, speaking up on issues that affect people like me. I want to show that we all have our own lives and ambitions, and we just want the same opportunities as everyone else.

So why don’t I get the opportunity to exercise my skills professionally? I at least want to get a tiny bit further towards my lifelong dream. I’m not alone either. According to new research from Mencap, 86% of unemployed people with a learning disability can’t find paid work. It’s good to see they're highlighting the barriers to fulfilling jobs that exist for people like me. We’re being excluded right from the start of the process as 23% of respondents to their latest survey said that inaccessible application forms are preventing them from being hired. It’s so discouraging to be blocked from getting a job at the very first stage.

Despite these barriers, I keep on trying. I’ve been to the job centre countless times. Once, I went with my support worker and one of the advisors, who I knew, looked me up and down before saying, “You’ve got unemployable written all over you. There's nothing we can offer you.”?

Let me give you another example, the first time I was on an IT training course, I told the woman running it about my ambition to run a charity for people like me in Zimbabwe. She took one look at me and said, “You might want to be more realistic, that's a lot of hard work.” As if I didn’t know that, that’s why I was getting training!

Funnily enough, by the time the course ended I had worked really hard and gotten the best score in the class. Then she had to admit she was wrong about me. But though I was proud of showing her how skilled and determined I was, I also felt let down. I shouldn’t have to fight for recognition when these programs are supposed to help me. That energy and determination would have been much better used looking for, or ideally, working in, an actual job.

This has left me hugely frustrated and scared that even if I did find a job, I’d be surrounded by colleagues who didn’t understand me and wouldn’t offer me the support I need to succeed. Each time I get knocked back, my ultimate goal seems to be further and further away.

How many times must I prove myself? How many times must I ask for help? I can do the hard work, so why don’t people give me a chance?

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