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Elizabeth works 9 hours a week as a Library Assistant at Wellington East
Girl's College.
Elizabeth is on the Mainstream Programme, starting in August 2004. The Mainstream Programme is a 2 year programme for people with disabilities available to selected government departments and schools.
During Elizabeth's second to last year at school she was referred to Emerge via the Transition Programme.
Elizabeth was interested in library work so during her last two years at school she had several work experience placements to build her skills in this area.
While Elizabeth was still at school she had work experience placements with:
During these placements Elizabeth worked with a job coach. Job coaching was gradually phased out during her Emerge placement. During her time at school Elizabeth also helped out in the school library.
A major challenge that Elizabeth faced in her transition to work was the lack of funding available to students not eligible for ORRS funding (On-going Renewable Resourcing Scheme).
In most situations, teacher aides would act as the job coach in a work experience situation. Their time is paid for through ORRS funding. However, if a student is not ORRS funded, there is currently no other funding available to them until they have left school. In Elizabeth's case, this meant that her parents needed to pay for an independent job coach because she required on the job support to learn new skills.
Elizabeth is still working through her Mainstream Placement at Wellington East Girl's College, using the training funds available to up skill herself, especially in Microsoft Applications that she uses in her work like Excel and Word.
I started my
working life in admin, first as a Braille proof-reader at the Royal New
Zealand Foundation of the Blind's transcription service and later as a
Typist at the then Department of Social Welfare. At the time, I remember
thinking "Is this all I have to do to get paid?", but I had been conditioned
to believe that my real interests which lay much more with the artistic,
were not viable employment options. I got the chance to expand my administration
skills when I first met the Mainstream Supported Employment Programme
back in 1990. In fact, I helped to run the scheme from the State Services
Commission's Auckland office for two years, until that organisation had
yet another of the numerous reviews with which it was plagued during the
late 1980's and early 1990's. I then spent a brief time with the New Zealand
Employment Service, working with job seekers. This was more like it -
a challenging and exciting position, in which both my clients and I could
learn from one another! However, there were other challenges in my life,
which finally engulfed me in mid-1993, when I was forced to abandon my
wonderful new job and spend time recovering and thinking about the future.
At the time, I was convinced it would never again involve the regular workforce, so I decided to have a go at my dream of being a singer. My album was released in April 1998 and I went on to spend several years busking around Palmerston North (then my home) and Wellington. However, this wasn't earning me enough for satisfaction and, by that time, a return to administration was no longer an option as I had developed OOS from playing my autoharp.
I ran across the New Zealand Radio Training School quite by chance, while walking past its driveway one day with my sister and, after much struggle (particularly in obtaining the equipment I would need), I graduated and was offered a job, through the Mainstream Programme helping to produce and present Radio New Zealand's "One in Five" programme, which profiles the issues and experience of disability.
This put me in a prime position to take over when long-time producer, Mike Gourley, left in August 2005 to take up a position with Sport and Recreation New Zealand. So, my dream of the artistic was realised - in a roundabout fashion and I am delighted to be in the position of extolling the wonders of diversity.
When not eating, breathing and sleeping disability issues, I love to read Terry Pratchett, J.R.R Tolkien, Anne Rice and Stephen King. I still sing occasionally (though my group has recently disbanded), and I enjoy a good wine.
Virak Tan is an ambitious young man, who has constantly achieved the goals he has set for himself in life, in spite of any obstacles that have been put in front of him. Virak has partial sight and as a young child left with his parents for a better and safer life in New Zealand after the upheaval in his native Cambodia.
He enrolled at Victoria University in 1995 and with the assistance of a reader writer, was able to complete his studies without any major support. Virak graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Commerce & Administration (majoring in Econometrics, Money and Finance) and a Bachelor of Science (majoring in Statistics) and began the difficult task of finding his first employment outside of university.
Virak registered with Emerge in May 2001 after being referred by Work and Income and began the process of job search with Emerge. After some interviews, Virak was offered employment at Statistics New Zealand as an Economic Statistician, under the Mainstream Programme in 2002.
Virak went from strength to strength at Statistics New Zealand developing professionally and personally with the confidence and support that Statistics New Zealand provided. At one stage he was completing a Diploma in Accounting through the Open Polytechnic, whilst still working full time in the Inflation Measures team.
Emerge has supported Virak throughout this employment process, from job search, support and advice to both Virak and Statistics New Zealand through the Mainstream process and assistance with applications for available training funds. Emerge also worked alongside the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) to trial and access adaptive equipment for everyday use by Virak in his workplace, such as JAWS software (a screen reader) and a braille display unit.
Emerge's support will be ongoing as Virak continues on his career pathway.
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