From education to employment

LONDON MUM PROUD OF AUTISTIC SON’S AMAZING WORK FOR NHS

Hospital bed

A mother from East London is a very proud parent this autism awareness week as autistic son Bobby makes huge contribution to @RoyalLondonHosp @NHSuk as it faces unprecedented pressure from #Coronavirus

 

Emma Price’s son who has learning disabilities and autism secured full-time employment with the NHS in 2019 following a supported internship programme.

Bobby Price had always dreamed of working for the NHS and now the 24-year-old is fulfilling his ambitions of working at The Royal London Hospital Barts Health NHS Trust and couldn’t be happier.

Bobby’s Mum is delighted not only by the positive change the job has made on her son’s life but also the dedication and contribution her son is making to the great work of the NHS during this time.

Emma said: “I’m so proud of Bobby because all he’s ever wanted is to work for the NHS at Royal London Hospital, and it’s all come true for him. He’s so proud of working in the hospital theatres and loves all his colleagues.

Emma continued: “Bobby is such an inspiration to me, he’s so motivated to get up every day and he’s always got such a positive mind-set, he doesn’t even like having to take a day off because he loves his job so much.

“It just makes me so proud to see him in his scrubs working at the hospital and doing his part for the NHS, young people like Bobby are making such an amazing impact.”

In 2018, Emma’s son Bobby joined supported internship programme, DFN Project SEARCH programme which gave him the skills, support he needed and confidence to find a meaningful fulfilling job.

Emma said: “I get told by his managers that the storerooms have never been this tidy and stock control has never been so good, he’s a real asset and it makes me beam with pride just thinking about how far he’s come and what he’s achieved.”

She continued: “I’m so proud of him because Bobby’s journey hasn’t been the easiest, but Bobby has always had a clear idea of what he wanted, and that was to get a job and go to work. Without the support he got along the way he wouldn’t be where he is today.

 

“I take the lead from Bobby because his attitude to work is amazing. He always says to me – I work for the NHS and the NHS needs me, and I just that find it so inspiring.”

 

Supported internships are a key tool in supporting young adults with learning disabilities and autism transition into fulfilling and meaningful jobs.

From sharing Bobby’s journey Emma hopes this can be a way of inspiring more parents to use supported internship programmes to get their children with autism or learning disabilities into work.

Emma added: “To see this young person transformed before your eyes is just incredible, you’ll never look back as a parent. I’m just so proud of what my son Bobby has achieved and the journey he has been on.”

Emma works as a Job Coach for Kaleidoscope Sabre, a supported employment service that works in partnership with DFN Project SEARCH in transforming the lives of young people with learning disabilities in London.

 

Emma said: “All the young people that come through the programme are absolutely amazing, they just want a job just like everyone else has, and they deserve that.”

 

Autism Awareness Week runs from 30th March to 5th April, helping to spread awareness and increase acceptance of autistic spectrum conditions.

 


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