National disability charity Sense have partnered with Severn Trent to host a two day Pan Disability Job Fair at the charity’s Birmingham centre, Sense TouchBase Pears. The event, which takes place on April 26 and 27, will bring together West Midlands based disabled job seekers with Disability Confident employers in a relaxed and accessible environment.
The Pan Disability Job Fair continues the charity’s important work in breaking down barriers to employment and supporting jobseekers with disabilities to live, earn and thrive.
This is the second time that Sense have hosted such an event, the first of which in 2019 saw 250 disabled job seekers mingle with 30 employers.
Zoe Bates, Employment and Benefits Coordinator at Sense, said: “Through our engagement with the disability community, we’ve found that job fairs are often inaccessible with limited opportunities for disabled people to engage with recruiters. Our event with Severn Trent will encourage job seekers to meet and chat with a range of employers from across the region in an accessible space with support available from British Sign Language interpreters, scribes and sight guides.”
As well as communication support for job seekers, the event will include a quiet hour from 2pm – 3pm on both days as well as breakaway spaces for private conversations. Sense TouchBase Pears is a fully accessible centre with disabled parking and flat level entry from the car park to the front door.
The Pan Disability Job Fair is part of Sense’s wider partnership with Midlands based Severn Trent which started last year. The charity will support with resources and best practise, ensuring that Severn Trent are able to better support to disabled people and provide learning around disability awareness.