Ben's Story

Ben is 21 years old, partially sighted (registered blind), has cerebral palsy, with a weakness down his right side. Despite Ben’s complex circumstances and needs, he was very keen to work.

Ben approached our Exeter Employment Development Team to help him in his search. We organised intensive one to one job search and support for Ben, which included CV preparation, help with completing application forms, pre-interview preparation and interview techniques.

When Ben was offered an interview at the Makro wholesale store in Exeter, we went with him to meet the Manager. Ben interviewed very well and he was immediately offered a part-time office based job. However, our support did not stop there.

Following the job offer, our team worked with Ben to ensure he was comfortable to negotiate the route between home and work each day. As the journey was too hazardous to undertake on his own, we assisted Ben in applying to the Access to Work scheme, who agreed to fund taxis from home to work.

Ben is thoroughly enjoying his first ever paid job and Makro is delighted with the valuable contribution he is making.

"Action for Blind People has been really helpful with my job search and they also made sure I settled in well. I love the job!"