A Mentorship Programme Is Turning Young PWDs Into A Thriving Workforce

Floare de Cires addresses the employment barriers people with disabilities face by training them in culinary and hospitality skills that help them integrate into the workforce and build a sense of independence.

Deaf Technology Foundation offers weekly activities to train Deaf students in programming, robotics, and other computer science skills. The sessions, which are taught using sign language, have served roughly 1,600 students so far.

Several companies’ newfound openness to remote work is leading to opportunities for people whose disabilities make in-person work difficult or impossible to find stable employment. The share of adults with disabilities who are working has soared in the past two years, far surpassing its pre-pandemic level and outpacing gains among people without disabilities.

Sightsavers is an international organization that focuses on the prevention of avoidable blindness and the promotion of equality for people with visual impairments and other disabilities in the workforce through its Inclusion Works project. Since its inception in 2020, Sightsavers has helped more than 200 individuals with visual impairments transition into new employment.

The Sickle Cell Aid Foundation teaches tech skills to those with sickle cell anemia to increase their employability and spearhead an inclusive tech industry. Since launching, the organization has trained and graduated 20 individuals with coding skills.

The Inclusive Friends Association, in partnership with SIMBED Learners School and Nigeria's National Information Technology Development Agency, implemented a targeted digital literacy program that trained 20 women and girls with disabilities across Abuja. The two-day workshop taught participants essential digital skills including content creation, social media management, Google tools, online safety, and advocacy techniques to show them how to create content and potentially generate an income online.

A partnership between Essex Tech North Shore Agricultural & Technical High School, and Local 22 trade union members is teaching students union norms and trade skills early in their career, connecting them to apprenticeships and greater career opportunities. Other states, including Maryland and Louisiana, have similar programs and students report feeling a greater sense of job security and that they can command higher pay from employers due to the expertise gained from the program.

The Yenbyen Fellowship is a six-month program that provides free digital skills training to young women. The Fellowship’s goal is to support the next generation of female tech leaders by providing training in areas like coding, web development, software engineering, and digital marketing. In an area where women are scarce in the workplace, so far 19 students who participated in the fellowship have found jobs in the tech industry.

Inclusive Farm is adapted for people with a wide range of physical needs, like for people who are blind, to give farming students the full range of skills expected on a farm. Inclusive Farm aims to break down barriers for disabled people in the farming industry and is currently ushering its first intake of 14 students toward completing their courses.

Enabled to Enable provides vocational skills training to disabled individuals. So far, the skills training has reached about 129 women and girls, empowering them to find jobs and even start their own businesses despite their disabilities.