Training & chosing job for son with mild physical disability

ladychelle

My son is 16 and has mild right sided hemiplegia meaning the muscle on his right side are slightly weaker than the left and has reduced fine motor skills in his hand. He has done level 1 motor mechanics with a local organisation for children who are not getting on with school. Towards the end of the course the guy he worked with seemed to suddenly discover that he cant use his right hand and said he was a health and safety risk and cant carry on with the training. Connexions asked us to get a letter from the gp stating what he can and cant do which he refused (which i thought was understandable as i cant even say what my son can and cant do as he will always have a go and find a way) He is really keen to go into work based training or apprenticeship interested in mechanics or plumbing. Do we carry on appling for apprenticeships and maybe persuade him to go to college (which he is not keen on because his school experience was bad, and he was badly behaved often excluded) and be told that he cant physically do it again or is there a way to find out what he can do. Connexions are not being helpful, i rang job centre plus about getting a disability employment adviser but they dont deal with his age group (seems 16 - 18 isnt a good age to be) his exam results were really bad but he has his math english level 1 &2 and science adult certificates because he did an alun test as well. Any help and advice will be very gratefully recieved

pmlindyloo

Your Job Centre Plus should be giving much more advice about this. Perhaps you need to return and ask to speak to a manager.

There are lots of organisations that should be able to help with support and advice. I do not know which part of the country you are in but you could give these people a call and see if they can help or steer you in the right direction.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Dl1/Directories/DG_10011162

Oldernotwiser

pmlindyloo wrote: »

Your Job Centre Plus should be giving much more advice about this. Perhaps you need to return and ask to speak to a manager.

Sorry, no. At 16, Connexions is the appropriate organisation.

OP, in what way are Connexions being unhelpful? What have you asked them to do?

By the way, is he left or right handed?

pmlindyloo

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Sorry, no. At 16, Connexions is the appropriate organisation.


Sorry, wrote too quickly Meant to say go back to Connexions.

PS Olderwiser, are you stalking me? :rotfl:That's 2 of my posts you have corrected - I hold my hands up to one mistake but am not sure about the other!

ladychelle

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Sorry, no. At 16, Connexions is the appropriate organisation.

OP, in what way are Connexions being unhelpful? What have you asked them to do?

By the way, is he left or right handed?

he is left handed. Connexions have been involved for over a year and have failed to come up with a training course or offer any advice as to where we can find out what he is capable of. they have shown us how to search online for an apprenticeship which we already had been doing. We have had to keep chasing them up all the time. as my son has a disability i would think there was somewhere they can do an assessment instaed of setting him on a course and then be told your a health and safety risk to others. Its quite demoralizing for him

ohreally

ladychelle wrote: »

Towards the end of the course the guy he worked with seemed to suddenly discover that he cant use his right hand and said he was a health and safety risk and cant carry on with the training

Perhaps this should be challenged.

Is "the guy" qualified in occupational health, what was the decision based on -jumping to conclusions or was he simply holding a stereo-type?
Given your son is left handed and the slight loss of faculty is right sided , on what grounds did he feel there was a health and safety compromise?

I think both the guy and the college need to show some accountability.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/your-rights/young-people-know-your-rights/

Oldernotwiser

ladychelle wrote: »

he is left handed. Connexions have been involved for over a year and have failed to come up with a training course or offer any advice as to where we can find out what he is capable of. they have shown us how to search online for an apprenticeship which we already had been doing. We have had to keep chasing them up all the time. as my son has a disability i would think there was somewhere they can do an assessment instaed of setting him on a course and then be told your a health and safety risk to others. Its quite demoralizing for him

The trouble is, Connexions can't just pull apprenticeships out of thin air and I've never come across the sort of assessment that you're looking for.

In many places, students are expected to have done at least a one year course before applying for an apprenticeship as very few employers take school leavers these days, particularly those with the chequered educational history your son has.

GavB79

...children who are not getting on with school...

What do you mean by this? Presumably his mild disability is not why he is on a Level 1 Motor Vehicles course? Why are his exam results really bad, does he have learning difficulties as well? Behaviour issues?

Maybe the tutor is just using your son's disability as a reason to get him off the course, but there are other reasons in play?

Oldernotwiser

GavB79 wrote: »

What do you mean by this? Presumably his mild disability is not why he is on a Level 1 Motor Vehicles course? Why are his exam results really bad, does he have learning difficulties as well? Behaviour issues?

Maybe the tutor is just using your son's disability as a reason to get him off the course, but there are other reasons in play?

I thought it was clear from the op that all the above apply. I completely agree with you that this may well be why he was asked to leave.

ladychelle

ohreally wrote: »

Perhaps this should be challenged.

Is "the guy" qualified in occupational health, what was the decision based on -jumping to conclusions or was he simply holding a stereo-type?
Given your son is left handed and the slight loss of faculty is right sided , on what grounds did he feel there was a health and safety compromise?

I think both the guy and the college need to show some accountability.

http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/your-rights/young-people-know-your-rights/

He just said that because of his reduced strength and only using one hand he would be a health and safety risk to others. He said that my son used his left hand to lift his right arm into place to hold a spanner and that his 'illness' was getting worse and that my son propb didnt want to worry me. He has no problems at all in moving his arm. i did say that they already knew about his mild problems and that what he was saying wasnt in keeping with my sons problems and that i could see he just didnt want him there. he said not at all he is a lovely lad. He has done a full yrs level 1 course as well as a 10 week course and the guy said the same everytime and has passed this onto connexions.
My concern is getting some training for a job that he can do in the future. At first i was happy to push for the mechanics as he is so keen and is used to handling tools. Connexions are the ones who are asking me to provide a letter on what he can and cant do. What exactly do connexions do if they cant advise a lad wanting to earn and keen to work. They only suggest college which he is adamant he doesnt want or a apinting and decorating course which i think only having the use of one hand will be a risk for himself despite him not being really interested in that

ladychelle

GavB79 wrote: »

What do you mean by this? Presumably his mild disability is not why he is on a Level 1 Motor Vehicles course? Why are his exam results really bad, does he have learning difficulties as well? Behaviour issues?

Maybe the tutor is just using your son's disability as a reason to get him off the course, but there are other reasons in play?

he has behaviour problems, was at school action plus special needs. School helped him get involved with the mechanics as he was excluded so often and wanted to help motivate and interest him. He has completed this and is doing a 10 week course that eneds next week.