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work

● ●If you are not used to taking risks, you
probably will not jump.
● ●If you are told you are no good, you
probably will not jump.
● ●If you think you will lose your benefits
and will not be able to get them back if it
goes wrong, you probably will not jump.
● ●Some people did jump.

Invisible support
Where people thrived, learned lots and
became more confident, they had
invisible support.
● ●This is the encouragement a friend gives.
● ●It is a colleague who checks an email
without making a fuss.
● ●It is a buddy who has your back so you
can concentrate on the hard bit of the Barod member Lucy Hinksman, who is developing a photography business
job you are doing right now.
● ●It is the place you can drop in when you mixed teams of people with and without We also developed “business blocks” –
are passing to check if you have got learning disabilities gives your organisation worksheets you can do before you start up
your business cards right. a good chance to be a success. in your own time and in any order. Once you
Some organisations have a culture that have done them, you will have something to
gives invisible support. Most business Belonging in the business world take to a business start-up adviser.
support is visible, has to be booked in When you start doing something new, you These will be available online at
advance, is time limited and not flexible. can feel like an outsider. This happens to www.businessforall.info.
everyone starting a business.
Personal journey To belong, you need to feel accepted Action research
People all have different journeys into and understand the rules that no one We also found out about doing action
business. The road can be very winding talks about. Most people get a friend who research with mixed teams. Our teams
and have some crossroads where you can help them learn about belonging in worked together all the time, so did not
have difficult decisions to make. the business world. have lots of review or planning meetings.
Sometimes, you have to make a U-turn. If you have a learning disability, this can We replaced these meetings with a
You might start working a few hours a be harder. People may dismiss you or catch-up phone call from the central team.
week to test the water, see if you can pretend you aren’t there. People often Some actions took a long time, so we did
cope, see if you like it, see if others like make judgments quickly, based on what not see as much progress as we had hoped
you. Sometimes, you have to take a rest you look like or how you talk. in the 18 months of research. We made a
for a year or more. video and fact sheet about this too. It is
As you travel, the way you see yourself called Behind the Scenes and will be on the
will change. You might start calling “ Ten years in work www.businessforall.info website.
yourself staff or a worker or businessman placements and still not The self-advocates began to see
or businesswoman. People with learning themselves as business people or
disabilities have complex lives, with carers, getting the national living workers. Two have sold handmade cards
social workers, support workers, job wage is exploitation “ online and at craft fairs. Two have
coaches, advocates, friends and families. developed their photography hobbies
Not everyone will agree about what you towards businesses.
should do next, but it is your life. One way of helping yourself to belong is The self-advocacy bodies turned
to “wear the right shoes”. People have successful projects into business-like
Organisational journey work clothes and work behaviour. If you services and know how much they need
When organisations try to make money, it put on work clothes and behave like you to earn to cover costs, employ people and
can be a big change. Some people think are at work, people are more likely to have a surplus. They have marketed
you should still do things for free. Others treat you as if you belong. services and seen new customers beyond
will start to look at you with new eyes. We have made a video and fact sheets the usual suspects a funded service would
They will want you to be professional, have for each of these themes, which will work with. n
high standards and respond to their wishes. be made available at our website at ● Barod: http://barod.org
Grant funding means getting money www.businessforall.info.
then deciding how to spend it and it feels Help for others Alan Armstrong, Mal Cansdale, Anne
Collis and Lucy Hinksman contributed to
safe for a year or two. Being in business
Karl Madert: Lucy Hinksman month. If you do not get the money, then – a list of hard words and what they References
this article
means you have to get the money every
Our project developed an online glossary
your job ends very quickly.
mean – for anyone who wants to
Businesses have to make quick decisions. understand what business advisers are
NHS Digital (2019) Measures from the Adult
Charity trustees can take a long time to
talking about when they use words like
Social Care Outcomes Framework, England,
make decisions. Learning together as
2018-19. https://tinyurl.com/vypftpg
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk “cashflow forecast”. Community Living Vol 33 No 3 | Spring 2020 15