Supporting people to express themselves, make choices about what they want to do and improve their quality of life has been at the heart of all three of the diverse roles that Joe has had since joining SeeAbility just three years ago. 

Initially recruited as a support worker, Joe was busy each day supporting people with learning disabilities, autism and sight loss to keep active, try new things and lead fulfilling lives. Within six months, Joe then moved to an IT Tutor role, jumping at the chance he was given to use his personal talents and interests in technology while continuing to work with the same group of people he had developed strong bonds with. 

Soon, his amazing work was noticed by Veronica Mulenga, Creating Connections Programme Lead, and the two became a strong team as Joe moved into his role as Digital Inclusion Officer. Joe’s new role entailed starting to work with people we support throughout SeeAbility. 

One of those people is Tamika, who is supported by SeeAbility at her home in Kent. Tamika has just started her new role as a Corporate Inductor for new colleagues joining the charity, where she leads conversations around the history of SeeAbility and what great support means to her. 

When Joe visited Tamika at her home, he was able to answer all the questions she had around making the most out of her personal technology, as well as supporting her to get to grips with new work equipment. Since some of her role involves working remotely, Tamika was keen to access and learn about tools that could support her to do so happily. With Joe’s encouragement, Tamika is now learning to how to use Microsoft applications, like Teams, something relatively new to SeeAbility in general! 

Joe has also been supporting colleagues during a time of great technological movement for SeeAbility. We are always looking at new ways to ensure colleagues have the tools they need to do their best at work. Joe has been a key figure of guidance to those who have questions or concerns about how the introduction of these technologies will affect them day-to-day. Creating webinars and workshops, and sharing advice and tips on Facebook Workplace has helped many SeeAbility colleagues. 

Joe is delighted that in such a short period of time he has been able to progress within SeeAbility and is now in a position to use his technological experience and talents to enhance the lives of people around him. Joe is also acutely aware of the similarities of his own journey within SeeAbility, where he has been encouraged to enhance and develop his own skills. With Joe’s expertise and passion to drive digital inclusion, the people we support are able to learn new skills and uplift their experiences with technology.

"The digital opportunities that people without disabilities take for granted often aren’t easily available to those who have different support needs. This programme aims to address that." – Joe