Working with Words, based in Greenlaw Street, Greenwich is celebrating following a grant for £20,000 towards the salary costs of a trainer. The charity works with people with learning disabilities providing training, and skills development. It also works with companies and organisations to produce accessible publications in written, website and audio formats. The grant has been made by the Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales through its Community Programme.
Currently over twenty individuals on the Community Disability Learning Register in Greenwich are on a two year training programme with Working With Words. Through the expertise of the trainers, each person is able to develop social skills including time keeping and working together in a group through to numeracy and IT skills.
Kathy Smith, the manager explains, “The funding has enabled us to develop the social skills element of our training programme. One aspect is the different ways of telling the time. For example a traditional clock face helps with timekeeping within a work environment and a digital clock face helps with understanding a timetable for people to get to work or an appointment.
Kathy continued, “A number of the people we have worked with have gone on to employment such as patrol crossing staff.”
Working with Words is currently recruiting for volunteers with experience of working with people with learning disabilities. Individuals or companies interested in finding out more should call 020 88 55 66 44 or visit www.workingwithwords.org.
Jude Stevens at Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales commented, “When we visited Working with Words we were able to see a clear commitment to individual development and its work with companies. Organisations commission the charity to turn information into accessible formats using plain English and generating clear illustrative photographs. A project with Transport for London resulted in a Plain English award.”
The Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales supports charities that help disadvantaged people to play a fuller role in the community. Local or regional charities with an income of £1million can find out more about the funding criteria and grant programmes at www.lloydstsbfoundations.org.uk.
