A new SEND-focused charity is launching to empower disabled people and break down barriers

A new charity is launching to support special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) individuals to find meaningful employment. As the Labour Party government moves to strip disabled people of their DWP benefits in a contradictory bid to move more claimants into work, and amid rumours of Access to Work cuts, the nonprofit is setting out to emphasise how current pathways into work are rife with “unnecessary barriers and outdated perceptions”.

See-ME – standing for SEND, Empowerment and Equity via Mentorship and Employment – plans to act on the systemic access issues the government is failing to. That is, the new nonprofit will break down barriers, and as its acronymic namesake suggests, empower SEND communities.

Having only just launched a fundraiser to establish the charity – it’s obviously early days. Already however, See-Me has big plans on how to do all this.

See-Me: a new charity seeking to fill the gaps in SEND employment support

John Warrior is the founder and one of four trustees of See-Me.

He started the charity because he feels there’s a significant gap in the current support for SEND individuals seeking employment. His background in recruitment, and previously, the government’s Welfare to Work scheme, informed his understanding of the broken system as it stands today. He explained that:

from my days in Welfare to Work where I saw firsthand very capable individuals stuck in a system due to their lack of support through to my current career in executive recruitment where diversity is discussed often but rarely see a clear pathway to employment. I decided to research the support in this area. What I found was that there are lots of well-meaning charities and projects, but they’re often focused either on school students OR getting a first job and beyond but nothing to really address issues of bridging the gap between the two. This is where I identified a need – one that, if left unaddressed, would prevent meaningful long-term progression for young adults to transiting into a career or the jobs market.

As such, See-Me’s goal is to meet this need. The charity’s mission statement states how it’s all about:

Empowering individuals with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and their families by providing mentorship, support, and advocacy to create meaningful career pathways.

And for Warrior, that’s the “key word”: empowerment. He said:

that is what our main goal is! We want every individual to have the confidence and ability to take charge of their own path and prevent the large number of individuals from falling through the cracks between education and employment. By bridging this gap and giving true routes to employment, we can not only positively impact the individuals themselves but also benefit organisations – introducing a new way of working, thinking and new attitudes that bring valuable perspectives.

‘It’s time to change perceptions’

To achieve this See-Me has a number of plans in the pipeline. For one, Warrior explained how it aims to “build collaborative networks”. Specifically, See-Me will seek to bring together educators, charities working with SEND individuals, and employers. Warrior described how bringing the “two worlds” of corporate partnerships and SEND support sectors would both:

allow young people to understand what is required in the workplace and inform businesses of the small changes to be made to hire individuals with SEND that will give them big rewards in terms of culture, outputs, and many more.

What does See-Me envisage this will entail? In a nutshell, mentorships, placements, and education.

The first would involve employees from partner companies mentoring young SEND individuals. It also wants to centre lived experience by putting SEND mentors who have “transitioned into employment” at the heart of this. In other words, See-Me recognises that it’s SEND communities themselves who are best placed to support other disabled people, rather than those with no understanding of the daily systemic barriers SEND individuals face.

See-Me wants to compel partner organisations to offer work placements to:

allow young people to gain hands on experience.

Finally, education will form a core tenet of the charity’s work. Warrior expressed that:

educating employers plays a crucial role in highlighting the true value individuals with SEND can bring to a business.

This is also encapsulated in the charity’s tagline, which reads:

It’s time to change perceptions

However, Warrior emphasised that:

This goes beyond simply meeting diversity targets; it’s about recognising them as valuable, capable contributors who can enrich the workplace with unique strengths and perspectives.

As part of its work, it also plans to produce a range of content:

from thought provoking articles to interviews and podcasts – exploring challenges and deepening public understanding of the value individuals with SEND bring.

Just getting started…

For Warrior, See-Me’s goals are also a personal mission. His passion owes to the fact that he grew up alongside his Autistic brother and witnessed:

the everyday hurdles he and my mum faced.

Moreover, he expressed how:

Over the past two decades that understanding has deepened through observing the difficulties and stigma my wife faces as someone with Dyslexia and Dyspraxia.

So, overall, Warrior said that:

Ultimately, our aim is to shift perceptions in a meaningful and lasting way.

See-Me is currently fundraising to meet its £5,000 start-up costs and become operational within the next year. This will cover the costs of its registration as a charity, its website and branding, and its early outreach and research expenses to make connections to SEND students, families, and schools.

The charity will also put this towards its early mentoring and pilot support programme. It will follow this up with further fundraising and grant applications to unlock further long-term funding for the organisation. You can donate to its GoFundMe page here.

Featured image supplied