Declaring disabilities on job applications, good idea or bad idea? - Page 2 — Scope | Disability forum
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Declaring disabilities on job applications, good idea or bad idea?

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  • MarkM88
    MarkM88 Community member Posts: 3,127 Connected
    Whoever told you that it doesn't mean anything or count for anything in my opinion doesn't have a clue. 

    Volunteering can help with maintaining skills and developing others, gaining the experience in an area where you feel you need more and you can use this to progress to paid employment, also a lot of volunteering opportunities give you the chance to work towards qualifications such as NVQs and certificates, which all look good on your CV.

    If you have been out of work for a while or never had a job it also provides you with a chance to use them on an application form for a reference which can then demonstrate to an employer how well you are doing.

    Alongside this it gives you a sense of achievement, you can feel part of society and part of the local community and that you are making a difference, help build self esteem and confidence and gives you the chance to build aptitude in relation to various tasks. 

    In my opinion that is all win win. 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    I would disagree there @MrAllen1976 as volunteering shows your willingness to go out to work and follow a work regime as well as work as part of a team 

    As I recruiting manager for retail I always took it into account 

    I also recruited lots of volunteers and put them through the normal application process to give them experience of interview and gave them a reference on completion 

    But as others have said working for a large retail organisation is far different to charity shop work 

    You need to often be multi skilled to carry out lots different tasks 

    Also against popular belief retail is very hard work and challenging 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    @janer1967 it is hard work in large retail stores but they do give training and inductions from my own experience  I think thst mr Allen would fair well on checkouts and large retail do have a good reputation for employing people with 

    Tesco where I live has a lovely lady on checkouts that has down syndrome  she has worked there for about five years  she loves it and in my opinion I think its fantastic 

    My cousin has down syndrome and works for barcleys  Bank with the right help and support most things in my opinion are acheviable 
  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    @lisathomas50 I agree the big retailers give excellent training and inductions and make reasonable adjystments for disabilities and have lots experience working alongside disabled 

    Not sure if would suit mrallen as I am not too sure on his individual disabilities and if he feels able to communicate with general public in a customer facing role but only he can make that call 
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,651 Connected
    janer1967 said:
    @lisathomas50 I agree the big retailers give excellent training and inductions and make reasonable adjystments for disabilities and have lots experience working alongside disabled 

    Not sure if would suit mrallen as I am not too sure on his individual disabilities and if he feels able to communicate with general public in a customer facing role but only he can make that call 
    I want to be facing customers, I do not want to be "hidden away" in the Warehouse because they're ashamed to admit they hired a disabled guy.

  • janer1967
    janer1967 Community member Posts: 21,964 Disability Gamechanger
    @MrAllen1976 that's good I wasnt saying you couldn't do this if you read it it says I didnt know if you felt able to

    Again anything I say to you is taken in the wrong context I am only trying to help 

    I wont waste my time anymore 

    Good luck 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    @janer1967 yes I would agree there if Mr Allen felt he may be able to do that sort of job I my experience he would get support if he could get that type of job 

    Mr Allen has said in previous posts that he had applied for the co op   I only disagreed with a post that said some one who has worked in a charity shop cant work in a place like tesco  I worked in several charity pop up shops to raise money  and did several other different jobs before I worked for tesco for 4yesrs and then I did completely the opposite and worked in boots pharmacy part time for 3years  then went into care whilst still doing my advocacy work my point being where you have worked  before doesnt define where you can work ? 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    @MarkN88 it was said further up the thread 
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,519 Disability Gamechanger
    edited January 2021
    Sorry to say that your past experience has a lot to do with where you can work in the future, I'm sure that Tesco do employ some disabled staff but they also employ many many non disabled, its not a level playing field and probably and sadly never will be.
    My point about charity shop experience not being relevant for work in fast moving consumer goods is that one word "fast", charity shops even in the bigger stores are anything but fast.
    Don't get me wrong for many volunteering in the charity sector can be valuable even more so if it's backed up in some real world experience.
    And again all this against a backdrop of high unemployemt, Debenhams has been taken over today but all their physical stores will close with 12,000 jobs lost. Part of Arcadia will also be bought out later probably with 000's of jobs gone.
    All those very experienced retail staff looking for work
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,550 Disability Gamechanger
    I know someone who has cerebral palsy who works exclusively on the checkout of a major national supermarket and has done so for many years now. He has even won mini awards for his cheery style etc and is thought of as a valued member of staff. He has mobility problems and must use crutches, hence the checkout only.

    Prior to that job he had no job experience at all and he was twenty five or so, so it can be done. 

    “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.” 
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    @woodbine I have done many different jobs and scope are helping me find a job and training for a job I have never done before  but it hasn't stopped me from trying 

    I agree that there is no level playing field  but it doesn't mean that if a person with disabilities  applys for a job that they won't get it  it may not be your intention but in my opinion it seems that your saying that we shouldn't bother applying  its not just people with disabilities that cant find work its also people who haven't  yes people from Debenham are looking for jobs but all stores and shops have different ways of doing things we will use tesco as an example  somebody from Debenham couldnt just walk in and do the job they would have to still be trained even if you have worked for tesco before 


  • Ami2301
    Ami2301 Community member Posts: 7,942 Disability Gamechanger
    What experience have you gained from volunteering @MrAllen1976?
    Disability Gamechanger - 2019
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,519 Disability Gamechanger
    i'm sorry @lisathomas50 that made no sense to me at all, you seem to misunderstand what i'm saying.
    But never mind.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    I found this interesting in the saga magazine  
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,519 Disability Gamechanger
    @lisathomas50 where does agism come into this equation? 

    As for SAGA i saw someone on TV last week describe the acronym as                             Sex Annually Generally August           :):):)
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

  • leeCal
    leeCal Community member Posts: 7,550 Disability Gamechanger
    I remember getting a job doing shift work in a factory and they actually preferred older applicants because they thought they were more likely to stay in the job and be better time keepers. That was at a time when jobs were so plentiful that you could be unemployed on a Tuesday and in work by Thursday, especially if you simply had a drivers licence. Times have changed.

    “This is my simple religion. No need for temples. No need for complicated philosophy. Your own mind, your own heart is the temple. Your philosophy is simple kindness.” 
    ― Dalai Lama XIV

  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 1,651 Connected
    Ami2301 said:
    What experience have you gained from volunteering @MrAllen1976?
    Customer service, Till work, typing experience, Telephone answering, Radio experience, Shelf stacking, crfedit/debit card handling, cash handling.


  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,911 Disability Gamechanger
    @leeCal that was done last year to be fair I was using it as an example that other people have problems with jobs  because of how wages are worked out  younger people are cheaper to employ but lack experience in my opinion and from experience  I just found thst piece interesting 
  • woodbine
    woodbine Community member Posts: 11,519 Disability Gamechanger
    @lisathomas50 yes younger people are generally less well paid but almost always lack experience it's a two edged sword really and a bit of a conundrum for many employers, after all in this day and age you could train a chimp to do many jobs, or in the big supermarkets a large % of checkouts are self checkouts and the number of jobs for check out staff have been cut massively, in our local asda strore 75% of their checkouts are done by the customers.
    2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡

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