Empowering People

Empowering People Empowering People -Advocates for inclusivity and social reform for Neurodivergent people.
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Tommy Jessop has Down syndrome. He is also an actor, author, activist, Mencap ambassador, and a voting member of BAFTA.H...
18/06/2026

Tommy Jessop has Down syndrome. He is also an actor, author, activist, Mencap ambassador, and a voting member of BAFTA.

He was the first actor with Down syndrome to star in a primetime BBC drama. The first to professionally tour theatres as Hamlet. He has won Best Actor awards, appeared in Masters of the Air, and spent years campaigning for the Down Syndrome Act, which became law in 2022.

He has said, repeatedly and plainly, what drives him.

"People with learning disabilities cannot do things in life. I want to get rid of those labels."

What strikes us about Tommy's career is not the list of firsts. It is what each of those firsts reveals: that the barrier was never his capability. It was the assumption, made by the industry around him, that certain roles, certain rooms, certain opportunities were simply not for people like him.

He walked through every one of those doors anyway.

The people we work with are not trying to become actors or BAFTA members. They are trying to find meaningful work, a sense of purpose, and the chance to show what they can do. The barrier they face is the same one Tommy Jessop has spent his career dismantling.

The assumption that they cannot.

Today we want to talk about what being seen can look like in the workplace.One of our clients wanted to work. They had t...
17/06/2026

Today we want to talk about what being seen can look like in the workplace.

One of our clients wanted to work. They had the skills, the motivation, and a genuine desire to contribute, but following a recent diagnosis, they experienced anxiety about the recruitment process and how they would cope with their condition in a working environment.

When they started their employment journey with support, things began to change.

An employer took the time to look beyond assumptions and focus on their strengths.

The interview process was adapted so they could demonstrate their abilities with confidence.

Reasonable adjustments were put in place from the start, without having to be repeatedly requested or justified.

Their employer and colleagues checked in regularly, listened, and created an environment were asking for support felt safe.

Today, they are a valued member of their team, contributing every day and growing in confidence.

Their success did not come from lowering expectations. It came from being given a fair opportunity to show what they were capable of.

For many people with a learning disability, the barrier to employment is not ability. It is whether someone is willing to see their potential.

At Empowering People, we work with employers to help create workplaces where people are seen, valued, and given the chance to succeed.

empowering-people.co.uk

Here is a number that should stop you in your tracks.Only 26.7% of adults with a learning disability in the UK are in em...
16/06/2026

Here is a number that should stop you in your tracks.

Only 26.7% of adults with a learning disability in the UK are in employment.

That is roughly 1 in 4.

And yet 86% of unemployed people with a learning disability say they want a paid job.

Let that sit for a moment. The vast majority of people with a learning disability who are out of work do not want to be out of work. They want what most of us want: a role, independence, a purpose, a place to contribute, a reason to get up in the morning.

The gap between those two numbers is not a gap in ambition. It is a gap in opportunity, in access, and in the support systems that should exist to bridge the two.

Closing that gap is not someone else's problem. It is an employer problem, a systems problem, and a society problem.

It is also what Empowering People exists to do.

This week is Mencap's Learning Disability Week 2026. The theme, created by people with a learning disability themselves,...
15/06/2026

This week is Mencap's Learning Disability Week 2026. The theme, created by people with a learning disability themselves, is four words:

Do you see me?

It is a question that cuts right to the heart of what inclusion actually means. Not tolerance. Not awareness. Not a poster in the break room. Being genuinely seen, heard, and valued.

There are 1.5 million people in the UK with a learning disability. This week is about making sure the world hears what their lives actually look like.

At Empowering People, this question sits at the centre of everything we do. Before we look for a job match, before we advocate for a client, before we put a support plan in place, we listen. Because you cannot support someone you have not taken the time to see.

All week we will be posting around this theme. We hope you will follow along.

Guernsey has introduced a hospital passport for autistic people and people with learning disabilities, and we think Scot...
11/06/2026

Guernsey has introduced a hospital passport for autistic people and people with learning disabilities, and we think Scotland should be paying attention.

The document, launched by Guernsey's Health and Social Care committee, helps hospital staff quickly understand what matters to each patient. It covers communication preferences, how the person shows pain, anxiety or distress, and their sensory needs.

The people it is designed to support were central to developing it. Shelley Taylor, a specialist community learning disability nurse involved in the project, described the passport as reflecting the real experiences of people with a learning disability and autistic individuals, their families, and carers, and said that collaboration with those with lived experience was key to getting it right.

The result is a practical tool that gives individuals a stronger voice in their care and removes the burden of having to explain yourself from scratch at what is already a stressful time.

This is not a complicated idea. It does not require large investment. It requires the will to treat people as individuals and to build systems that work for them, not the other way around.

Many of the people we support at Empowering People live with exactly the kind of hidden needs a tool like this is designed to address. A hospital visit can be an overwhelming experience for someone whose communication needs, sensory sensitivities or anxiety responses are not understood by the staff treating them.

We would love to see this kind of approach adopted consistently across Scotland's health services. If it is already happening somewhere near you, we would genuinely like to hear about it.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn8ky4ygk9po

A new poll by Community Care has produced findings that should make every employer stop and think.Of 510 social workers ...
10/06/2026

A new poll by Community Care has produced findings that should make every employer stop and think.

Of 510 social workers surveyed about their experience of requesting reasonable adjustments for neurodivergence or disability:

25% had their request refused outright.
20% had not asked at all, for fear of rejection.
38% eventually secured adjustments, but only after fighting management resistance.
17% described the experience as positive.

Only one in six people had a straightforward, positive experience of asking their employer to meet a legal obligation.

And this is in social work. A profession built on advocacy, inclusion, and fighting for the rights of vulnerable people. As Scott Richardson of the British Association of Social Workers puts it, disclosure remains a calculated risk and reasonable adjustments are still too often treated as exceptions rather than embedded practice.

There is a profound contradiction at the heart of this. Social workers fight every day for the people they support to receive appropriate adjustments and accommodations. And then they go back to workplaces that refuse to do the same for them.

If this is the picture in social work, it is not difficult to imagine how it looks across other sectors.

At Empowering People, we work with individuals who have been through exactly this. People who asked and were refused. People who never asked because they already knew the answer. And we work with employers who want to do things differently.

https://www.communitycare.co.uk/content/news/social-workers-struggle-to-obtain-reasonable-adjustments-for-neurodivergence-or-disability-poll-finds

A new NHS-backed website launched recently, and we think it is worth sharing.Best For You (bestforyou.org.uk) has been b...
08/06/2026

A new NHS-backed website launched recently, and we think it is worth sharing.

Best For You (bestforyou.org.uk) has been built in partnership with over 75 young people and NHS clinicians to give young people a single, trustworthy place to find mental health information and support. It covers mental health conditions, everyday life challenges, signposting to services, and clear pathways to urgent help when it is needed.

Our Social Media Manager had a look through the site this morning and came away genuinely impressed. The information is accurate, clearly written, and easy to navigate without being patronising. The design is clean and thoughtful. It feels like it was made by people who actually listened to young people rather than people who assumed they knew what young people needed.

That might sound like a low bar. It is not. Good, accessible mental health information for young people that is also clinically sound and free at the point of use is rarer than it should be. The fact that this exists, and that it was shaped throughout by the young people it is designed to serve, is genuinely worth celebrating.

If you work with young people, know a young person who is struggling, or are a young person yourself, it is well worth a visit.

bestforyou.org.uk

Tuesdays client review came with an unexpected upgrade – a new sofa at Sharpen Her! 😊It was great to catch up with Angie...
05/06/2026

Tuesdays client review came with an unexpected upgrade – a new sofa at Sharpen Her! 😊

It was great to catch up with Angie, Sharpen Her's founder, and spend some time reflecting on the great progress our client is making in her role as Administrative Officer.

As part of our support, we hold regular reviews with our clients to check in, celebrate achievements, and make any adjustments needed to ensure they continue to thrive at work. Seeing our client grow in confidence and settle into her role has been brilliant to witness.

Partnerships like the one we have with Sharpen Her show just how much can be achieved when employers create inclusive opportunities and are willing to work together to support their employees.

A huge well done to our client for everything she has achieved so far and thank you to Angie and the team at Sharpen Her for their continued support.

And yes, the new comfy sofa got our seal of approval too! 🛋️

Today we visited the AC Hotels by Marriott in Glasgow for a client's first review, and we are delighted to report that t...
04/06/2026

Today we visited the AC Hotels by Marriott in Glasgow for a client's first review, and we are delighted to report that things are going brilliantly.

Our client is settling into their new role as a Food and Beverage Associate and is surrounded by a very supportive team.

Moments like this are exactly why we do what we do.

We also took the opportunity to say goodbye and good luck to HR Manager Peter Cairns, who is leaving to begin a new chapter in Dublin.

Peter has been instrumental in building and nurturing our working partnership with AC Marriott, and his support for our clients has made a genuine difference. We wish him all the very best.

To the whole team at AC Marriott Glasgow, thank you for being the kind of employer who makes inclusion work in practice, not just in principle.

Yesterday, we attended Meet the Buyer 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central.Now in its 17th year, Meet the Bu...
03/06/2026

Yesterday, we attended Meet the Buyer 2026 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central.

Now in its 17th year, Meet the Buyer is Scotland's largest free procurement event, bringing together suppliers, buyers, and decision-makers from across the public and private sectors. With nearly 3,000 suppliers in attendance, it was a brilliant opportunity to connect with organisations that share our commitment to building more inclusive and supportive workplaces.

We also heard from a range of engaging speakers who shared valuable insights and practical advice, giving attendees a better understanding of the procurement landscape.

For Empowering People, this event provided a valuable opportunity to speak with organisations such as Public Contracts Scotland, Scotland Excel, South Lanarkshire Council, and Glasgow City Council to gain advice on the procurement processes required to introduce a new support stream for our clients.

The more conversations we can have with procurement teams and public sector bodies, the more we can expand our services for the neurodivergent adults we support.

Thank you to the Supplier Development Programme Scotland for organising such a well-run event. We came away with plenty of valuable connections, practical insights, and follow-up opportunities.

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