Over Christmas 2024, SeeAbility raised money to bring its innovative Ready, Willing and Able supported employment programme to London. With the backing of The Reed Foundations, donations through the Big Give Christmas Challenge were doubled, enabling us to raise over £50,000.  

We are pleased to announce that, through these generous contributions, we have recently employed our first London-focused supported employment coach! 

What is Ready, Willing and Able? 

Research shows that whilst most people with learning disabilities want to work, their unemployment rates are amongst the highest in the UK. The UK employment rate is 80% for non-disabled people, 47% for disabled people, and just 5% for people with learning disabilities.     

At SeeAbility, we've already begun to change the story. Through support from the Big Give in 2018, we were able to launch our Ready, Willing and Able supported employment programme, working with people with disabilities across the UK to build meaningful careers. Our innovative programme works closely with both the job-seeker and the employer to ensure both sides are ready, willing and able to make inclusive employment work.  

But there is lots of work still to do. There are thousands of people with disabilities across the UK who have never had a paid job.  

In some areas of London, the situation is worse, with even fewer people with learning disabilities in paid work and a similar lack of employers that feel able to support a disabled person in their employment.  

That's why we wanted to bring our Ready, Willing and Able programme to London, and build those bridges between employers and disabled employees.  

“I feel very excited to have a paid job and I am very grateful to my job coach for helping me with my CV and interview preparation. Looking for work is a challenge but don’t give up.” 

Tim, a participant in our regional Ready, Willing and Able programme 

Introducing Jana – our first London Supported Employment Coach 

We’re thrilled to welcome Jana to the team, as our first London-based Supported Employment Coach! She is a passionate and experienced employment coach who brings deep commitment and energy to her role. 

 Jana has worked with people overcoming all kinds of barriers to employment, from rebuilding their lives in new countries to living with health challenges, and she’s already making a difference in London. 

"Supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss into meaningful work is close to my heart – it’s about empowerment, inclusion, and creating real opportunities." 

– Jana 

Since joining, she has begun supporting seven people on their employment journey, and she has also started building strong links with London Boroughs and Job Centres to grow our referral base. 

“It feels really, really good. It’s nice to earn actual money. By having a proper job, I feel a weight has lifted off my shoulders. Life is a lot less stressful not having to look for a job.” 

- Beatrix, a participant in our regional Ready, Willing and Able programme 

Laying strong foundations for long-term change 

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Ready, Willing and Able is off to a strong start in London! The next phase will see us deepen relationships with local stakeholders and employers, using early success stories to raise awareness and position the programme as a leading supported employment offer in the city. 

Our work continues in other parts of the country such as Bristol, where we have supported dozens of people to find employment – many for the first time.