Hi, my name is KateJones848! I have hidden disabilities, and want to start my own business

KateJones848

Hiya my name is Kate and I have hidden disabilities. It would be great chatting to people like myself on here, to share stories, information, and possibilities available opportunities. Sometimes I get very lonely because of my difficulties, so very much looking forward to chatting with you all...

Have a good day all 

KateJones848

I feel desperate to do some paid work but have, in the past, had challenges within the workplace and am inconsistent because of my complex disabilities, which annoys employers and then makes me feel useless. However, I feel like I do have a lot to give, when I can and want to start my own business, working when I can and not feel like I'm letting anyone down in the process. By becoming my own boss I feel like this can help me in more ways than one but am in receipt of ESA benefits and feel so restricted and do not have any support worker or work coach and do not have any savings to pay the cost of a carpentry course. If there is anyone that has any advice, I would be so grateful, please?!

Kate

paulmitch26

aww bless you!! have a look on google and see what is available in your area course wise. i think you should accept that work does you no favours and you are to live a life doing what you like! where are you from if you don't mind me asking?

L_Volunteer

Hello @KateJones848

Welcome to Scope’s forum. It is great to see you have joined us. And I especially appreciate that you have already reached out to us. I always appreciate how much courage it must take to reach out, especially for the first time.

You can definitely talk to other people with hidden disabilities here on Scope’s forum. You might find our rare, invisible, and undiagnosed conditions particularly useful for finding other people with similar stories to yourself. If you are interested, you can find it at https://forum.scope.org.uk/categories/undiagnosed_rare_conditions. I think we are a very supportive and friendly community and I hope you find the same, no need to feel lonely with us! 

I think it is great to hear you are aware of the challenges you may experience in employment but also the types of employability which you may enjoy most and find the most accessible. I am just wondering what level the carpentry course would be at? As I am aware there is quite a lot of funding available depending on what level you wish to study at and I would like to provide the most appropriate advice in terms of access to funding for the carpentry course.  Also, Scope has employment support services which you might find useful. If you are interested, you can find them at https://www.scope.org.uk/employment-services/.

I hope this is useful and I will look forward to hearing from you again soon 

Tori_Scope

Welcome to the community @KateJones848 Thanks for joining the community, and for writing a little bit about yourself and your goals.

It's great to hear that you're interested in setting up your own business. Is it a carpentry business that you're looking to set up?  

We have an information page on trying self-employment, which you might find helpful. 

I'd also definitely recommend getting in touch with our employment services, as L_Volunteer has suggested. They're all really friendly teams, and can help you to work out your next steps.

Do you mind me asking what kind of qualifications you have? 

Would you consider doing an apprenticeship at all? You can search for apprenticeships on this gov.uk page. I had a quick look, and saw a couple of carpentry ones on there.

Dan198523

Kate , there is support out there for disabled people to set up their own businesses , DM and I can answer specifics if you still need assistance , regards Dan