We are experiencing a national increase in the numbers of people seeking asylum and refugees who have disabilities and are in need of support.

The few services that are provided in the community are often overstretched with little capacity to provide the bespoke support needed in their circumstances. This can result in them having to rely on other people, who are not necessarily sufficiently experienced, to help them. They are often alone, unsupported and presented with many barriers to access much needed specialist support.  

	For wheelchair users, the prospect of face to face meetings can be intimidating if they don’t know if facilities and transport are accessible. They may have little or no knowledge of the English language.
	For people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, phone call discussions are a barrier to inclusion. It is essential to have accessible formats of communication.
	For people who are visually impaired and seeking refuge, there may be many obstacles when attending face to face meetings and completing online or written applications forms.

We know we can change the outlook and help lift the barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities. Our vision is to enhance the capacity of our frontline team with a Specialist Adviser to ensure our services are inclusive and equally accessible to people with disabilities. 

We have secured £20,000 per year for the next three years. Your pledge to support with matched funding would enable us to deliver our bespoke service:

£20,000	Provides a dedicated Specialist Adviser for one year to work with clients, delivering much-needed support tailored to their needs.
£40,000	Provides a dedicated Specialist Adviser for two years, offering consistency, building long-term trust and setting up robust pathways with vital services and partners.
£60,000	Provides a dedicated Specialist Adviser for three years, enabling longer-term planning and ensuring all clients receive bespoke support and empowering pathways tailored to their needs.

If you share our vision and would like to help us lift the barriers to inclusion for people with disabilities, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please contact either [email protected] or [email protected].