#PartOfMePodcast – Episode 6: Lorna on a bit of everything

Esi:

Esi, Hello everyone, and welcome again to another edition of part of me, the podcast from celebrating disability talking to other disabled people about their experiences of support in the workplace. Today, we have an interviewee today, telling us about her experience, and so we’ll just start with her just now. Hello,

Lorna:

Hello

Esi:

Would you mind starting by telling us who you are and what you do?

Lorna:

Hello. My name’s Lorna Marsh. I’m a dog trainer in Brighton ho I do one to one dog training from my home. 

Esi:

That sounds really good. What’s the name of your Do you have a business? And what’s the name of your business? 

Lorna:

It’s called Eli manoeuvres. 

Esi:

That’s a really cool name. And so can you tell us a bit about your disability and what it means to you in relation to the support you need? 

Lorna:

I have cerebral palsy, quadriplegia. I’m an electric wheelchair user full time, and I’ve had various different jobs over the years, and therefore I’ve needed different support during those jobs, but my current jobs mean that I need more admin support and facilitation with that rather than physical support.

Esi:

Okay, so when you say admin support, can we just be a bit more specific? Because some people think, Well, why is that different? Because you’re disabled.

Lorna:

Well, I didn’t say earlier, but I have severe dyslexia. 

Esi:

Okay,

Lorna:

So for me, it means that I need a hand to read absolutely everything. So all my emails, all my mail, all my client appointments, and anything to do with everyday life, as well as in the workplace,actually

Esi:

Okay, so we should pay when you when it comes to clients, you need to make sure you get paid on time. So you need to make sure that your invoices are set up, yeah, and then you correspond with clients in the right way, and they’ve got all the information you need. 

Lorna:

Yeah, anything to do with writing or reading, basically, is really difficult for me, both physically because of the cerebral palsy, and also to actually do it because of the dyslexia. Okay, so that’s where I needed a big amount of support. And if I didn’t have that support, I simply wouldn’t be able to function,

Esi:

I guess, right, yeah. I mean, it’s amazing, isn’t it? Because it sounds like a little thing, oh, I just need help reading an email, but it makes a massive difference, doesn’t?

Lorna:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, for me, technology has come about a long way, so now I can do more myself, but I still need that one to one support from an individual.

Esi:

Okay, yeah, so does it? I mean, you talked a little bit about, if you don’t mind me going off script. Here just now, any of my interviewees will know that I give them the questions ahead of time, but then I always go off script. And I really hope that you don’t mind, but you talked a little about the support, the fact that you have people that support you in your personal life as well. Does that kind of interchange with your work life?

Lorna:

Yeah. I mean, I believe personally, that you need different types of people and different types of skills depending on what you’re doing. Okay, so, like in my home, like personal life, I need someone who can support me with running at home in the way that anybody else would wish to run at home. But, for example, I can’t, you know, I can’t clean the floor, I can’t tidy up, I can’t cook. So they, they support me in that way. Yeah, and then at work, I need someone who’s faster typing or good on the computer or good with, you know, technology in general. So it’s different again,

Esi:

Yeah, so it’s been like any job you really need the person to match the skill set

Lorna:

Exactly, like we do when we go for an interview, when, when someone’s coming for an interview, to work with me, I need to make sure that they’ve got the right background for the job I’m asking them to do.

Esi:

Yeah, do you do other job training as well, or do you just hope that people have all the skills to begin with.

Lorna:

No, no. If that’s what’s needed or wanted, then that’s what I will do. Okay, because you basically want the best outcome for both.

Esi:

Yeah, yeah. I think that’s a really good point, and I know it’s a bit off topic, but I think it’s really important, because a lot of the listeners are disabled people themselves, and some with varying ranges of experience being an employer or having personal assistance, so I think that’s really useful to hear. So thank you very much

Lorna:

Oh, no problem.

Esi:

So what’s our next question? So are there any challenges that you face in the workplace due to your disability, and how do you overcome those challenges?

Lorna:

The biggest challenge that I faced in my previous job, if I’m allowed to be so honest, was that I had I had access to work support, which I know in your previous postcode you’ve talked about before. I had that funding, which is brilliant, because it means that I’m able to do a job. But what I found was that the line of how much you’re doing your job and how much support you’re having kind of gets blurred, so I found it really hard to keep control of the things that I could do and own my job. And I think that’s the biggest kind of advice that I could give someone to make sure that they know that the job belongs to them and the person is there to facilitate other elements, if that makes sense.

Esi:

Yeah, so I mean, what you’re saying? I mean, I think that’s a really good point that we have never touched upon yet, but for an employee, employer hearing that, it’s quite a scary concept, so they hire, let’s say Esi to come in and do a really good job with disability equality, obviously, but then actually, Esi pa ends up doing the job, and I don’t want employers to feel that actually we won’t hire this person because we’re not hiring them. We’re hiring their other person. So I understand what you’re saying, but how what can we do to reassure or to support disabled people, to stay in control and to realise that that is their job, and to reassure employers that actually when you hire that disabled person, it’s not going to be somebody else taking over.

Lorna:

Because it’s up to the disabled person to own the fact that they got that wrong. Yeah, they did that interview. They were the person that was in front of that panel, or whatever the situation was, and they were the person that was liked, and they were the person that received the letter to say, yes, we want to give you the job. And I think it’s really important to remember that, and to remember that most of your skills, even if it’s not physically, maybe the knowledge that that person bring into the table is what the employer wants. Yeah, and if they remember that, then they can spread that message to the person that’s supporting them to make them on an equal levels to their peers, so that they are able to do every task that’s put in front of them, whether, whether or not it’s something that they physically can’t do, and they need support with it, they’re still achieving it, if that makes sense.

Esi:

Yeah, no, I do. I mean, I understand exactly what you’re saying. And I mean, before this interview on the kind of the the kind of when we were talking about what, what I was going to ask you, and a bit about your experience, we were talking about the the fact that you, as the employer of to say, of personal assistance, it’s really important to set those boundaries, yeah, with that personal assistant say, actually, this is my role, or whatever you’re doing. You know, even if you’re going out in a social setting, this is my time. You’re here to help me do this. However, you know, this is your job and this is my life.

Lorna:

Yeah, and that’s I openly admit, you know, that’s a profound mistake I made, yeah, both in having PA and in having access to work. So it’s a mistake that I wouldn’t want to make again, and I would do my utmost not to make it again, but also, it’s a mistake that I wouldn’t want anyone else to make because it was a horrible feeling. Yeah, you know it was, yeah, it’s not nice. And being able to get a job and to be able to be equal to your peers and succeed in that job is an amazing feeling, yeah, and that’s what everybody deserves. And if companies are happy to work with disabled people? Then, you know, everybody’s winning, really, yeah, you know, everybody’s gaining from

Esi:

it brilliant and experiences. Other things that the employers can do as well to understand that, I think, you know, you brought up such an amazing thinking about, you know, I hadn’t even thought about bringing up before, but there’s a lot of things employers can do to understand the kind of challenges that disabled person might face with a personal assistant, and put in processes to support that disabled person through those difficult times.

Lorna:

I mean, for example, and sorry to keep going back now, for example, I was working as an Access to Work person for a very long period of time. And in one way, I was very, very lucky, because obviously she knew how to support me, and she knew my role, and she knew what I needed, and she knew the places I was going and the clients I was working with. But on the other hand, it then became somewhere where she was also known in her own right as an individual, purely because she’d been there for so long. And you know, in a lot of ways, it then meant my colleagues and the contracts I had were equally comfortable with her, which is obviously a natural thing that’s going to happen. But then what happened was they were asking her questions that they should have been asking me. And I think that you have to be very aware that things can evolve if you get too familiar in a certain situation. So I would personally know if I could have my time again, agree to work with someone for like, three years and then end it, rather than just keep going, because it’s working. Yeah, if that makes sense.

Esi:

Yeah, perfect. I mean, I had similar experiences myself. I used to work in a caring setting, and I had a very good personal assistant who the sometimes the residents would say to her, you know, couldn’t Esi do this? I need Esi to do that. And instead of saying, Okay, I’ll sort it for you, she would say, Well, you’ll have to ask Esi. I’ll tell Esi that you need to talk to her so that she, I mean, she herself, understood the boundary, but also she was able to tell somebody else what those boundaries were as well in a confident way. So I suppose it’s the way that we train and we support our personal assistants near their own family.

Lorna:

 It’s two way. Yeah, it’s completely two way. And it’s something that I openly admit I learned the incredibly hard way, and I pray that it’s not a mistake that I will repeat, but it’s just something that I feel is worth bringing up, because it can be a very successful outcome for all parties if it’s done, right?

Esi:

Okay, yeah, okay, brilliant. Thank you. I think that was a real I’m really pleased that you brought that up, and I would have never, well, hopefully I would have a victory, but I wouldn’t have thought of bringing it up. So thank you so much for doing that. So if there’s anything else, so we’re going on to advice now. So if there’s any advice you could offer disabled employees, other than what you just offered them, I think that’s a massive piece of advice. What would it be?

Lorna:

Go, go for it., Don’t worry about the things that aren’t worth worrying about yet, you know, like, have a conversation and then go for it. And if you want to do something, then do it and work it out with the individuals you’re working with.

Esi:

Yeah, I think that’s really important. You know, a little while ago, we talked to Ian speed from all inclusive, and he said a very similar thing, but understand, you know, almost like L’Oreal, but you’re worth it. You know, the reason why you’ve been selected for that interview is because you’re good enough, so trust in yourself, really, and have a bit of self confidence as well. It doesn’t always come easy for some people, regardless of mobility or disability, but especially disabled people who, for one reason or another, have never had these opportunities. And I think it’s a really important point to kind of keep going over that you know, there’s no reason why you can’t get what you want.

Lorna:

No, there isn’t. And also, if, like with anyone, whether you’ve got a disability or not, it doesn’t matter. It’s a general comment, really. But if you wanted something for a long time, then you if you get it, you’re then going to stay there for a long time. So it’s really good for your boss, whoever they may be, to know that they’re going to get the commitment, because this is a job that you passionately wanted. Yeah, and if somebody next to you again, able bodied and disabled or disabled, sorry, hasn’t had to have that determination for that period of time, then they might not stay there as long. Which one is going to be more appealing to the person you’re working for? You know, it’s just going to be.

Esi:

Would you like to be a marketer? That’s amazing. Everybody. Take a point of that note. Okay, so if you had any advice for managers supporting disabled people about engaging with disabled people in the workplace,

Lorna:

Obviously things like equipment and things like that, But once that equipment is in place. It’s no different. This person is working with you, and they’re doing a job that they said they would do, and the other things that come into it are only adjustments. You’re still getting the same service from that person as you would from the next person, so it’s no different in the long run. Yeah,

Esi:

yeah, awesome. Thank you so much, and we’re nearly at the end now, is there anything else you would like to tell our listeners? 

Lorna:

No I mean, just that. I think celebrating disability is a really good concept, and I think that is something that organisations and individuals and people in general need to really think about, that. You know, it’s important that everybody is aware of being equal, and this is one way they can do it, by going through celebrating disability and finding out things before they make the mistakes. 

Esi:

Yeah, so, yeah, thank you very much and I promise. Lorna isn’t actually on the payroll at the moment. that, She will be soon

Thank you so much everyone for listening today. Have a look on the Celebrating Disability website and if you need any support, or any resources please let me know. Please send me an email or drop me a line. and as usual, if you’re yourself or a disabled person interested in being interviewed for celebrating disability, have any questions to ask. Please let us know and we’d love to speak to you. Okay, speak to you again soon. Bye.