by Hayley Collins, Community Coordinator
Back in October 2023, I attended a ‘speed interview’ event at a local Milton Keynes School, where I was fortunate enough to sit next to Sean, who would be the catalyst for a great future partnership with Barclays.
Making connections
During the short break between speaking with students, Sean and I got chatting about MacIntyre and my role as a Community Coordinator. Being so passionate about my job I got completely carried away, and before I’d even had the chance to ask Sean where he was from, break was over. I shared my contact details with Sean who reached out to me a few days later. Sean put me in touch with his line manager, Nat, who has opened up numerous opportunities for us since, including Tony’s Neurodiversity Celebration events.
Recruiting neurodiverse people
In March, Tony very kindly reached out to see if we would be interested in attending a new event he was organising in Canary Wharf, London, to celebrate neurodiversity in the workplace. He also gave us the opportunity to participate on the recruitment panel discussion to talk about the challenges people who draw on support face when it comes to finding paid work.
I went along with Sui-Ling Tang (who joined me on the panel discussion), Adam Jones (Enterprise and Learning Programme Manager), and Donna McHenry (Recruitment).
Sui-Ling spoke about what being in paid employment means to her, and the ways MacIntyre supports her to succeed in her role.
I spoke about the fear I’ve seen from potential employers as soon as the words ‘learning disabilities’ are mentioned, and how having a diverse workforce can benefit organisations.
Family perspectives
We had a really great time supporting with this event, so when Tony reached out again this September just gone to invite Sui-Ling and me to the next one in Cheshire, we jumped at the chance!
This time, Tony asked if we would like to be on a parents’ panel to give an honest perspective on the realities of having a child who is neurodiverse. I felt this would be a great opportunity to involve families of the people who draw on our support, and thanks to colleague Pete Connor's quick thinking, I was able to arrange for Barbara to be on the panel. Barbara is mum to Bethan, who is heavily involved in Great Communities in Warrington.
Raising our profile
As well as being on the parents’ panel, we also held an information stall promoting Jobs in Warrington, Preparing to Support, The Autism Network, and The Mag. Also, not forgetting Sui-Ling who promoted her chat show at every opportunity, which has resulted in new followers and a request to be a guest on her show!
I’ve really loved sharing these events with others across MacIntyre. Thank you to everyone who has contributed towards making these events both successful and fun! Hopefully everyone involved has enjoyed the experience as much as I have, too.
