A woman with complex disabilities who defied the odds this year to find her first ever job has been shortlisted for a ‘Person of the Year’ award by national disability charity Sense.
The Sense Awards, now in its 20th year, is the charity’s annual celebration of people with complex disabilities and those in their lives that support them. There are 13 categories in total which aim to recognise the achievements of disabled people and those that support them, including carers, volunteers and fundraisers.
Jade Cotton, from Birmingham, is one of the people up for a gong at the charity’s award ceremony in November. Jade, 36, is a wheelchair user who is registered blind, has cerebral palsy and is non-verbal.
Jade, who communicates using text-to-speech software, wants to raise awareness of her disability and how much it’s possible to achieve with the right support in place. In recent years her focus has been on finding a job, something she says she was always told she’d never be able to do.
The Birmingham local did everything she could to look for and apply for paid work, but unfortunately like many disabled people she had a poor experience at her job centre. Research from Sense shows there’s not a single jobcentre in the country with specialist assistive technology in it, something that Jade and other people with complex disabilities need to browse job boards and complete job applications.
Work Coaches, a jobseeker’s first and main point of contact at a jobcentre, provide support looking for work. However, the charity’s research revealed over half (54 per cent) of jobseekers with complex disabilities did not feel supported by their Work Coach, with less than a quarter (23 per cent) who had visited having received one to one support.
Jade, who lives with her husband Andy, made many successful job applications, but would struggle to get through the interview stage. Things changed for Jade when she was introduced to Sense’s employment service that helps disabled people to look for work, apply for jobs and deal with other employment-related issues.
Jade and Zoe Bates, Sense’s employment co-ordinator, worked closely together to help Jade develop her interview skills and to get extra qualifications, such as in business admin and functional skills. And her hard work paid off, when in June this year Jade was offered a job on an NHS staff bank following a successful interview.
Being nominated for this award rounds off a great year for Jade, who says: “I’m so thankful and excited to be shortlisted for this award. My motto is don’t give up on your dreams, don’t let your disability define you and the key in life is the determination of achieving whatever you desire.
“I hope I’ve proved that this year and I’m really pleased my hard work has been recognised by Sense.” Sense, the national charity that supports people with complex disabilities, received hundreds of nominations for its awards this year.
It was down to a team of disabled celebrities, influencers and disability activists to review the nominations and decide a shortlist of three entries for each category. These judges include singer-songwriter Alice Ella, chef and TV presenter Briony May Williams, Paralympian Siobhan Fitzpatrick, children’s author Dan White, and disabled influencer Lauren Gilbert.
Richard Kramer, Chief Executive of Sense and judge for the Sense Awards, said: “Jade’s hard work and resilience in finding employment has really paid off this year, and I’m delighted that with support from Sense’s employment service she has found her first job.
“A big well done and congratulations to Jade, and I wish her lots of luck at the awards next month.” Sense will be revealing this year’s winners at its awards ceremony on 23 November 2023, which will be hosted by disabled presenter and actress Samantha Renke.
