Daniel Davies – Technologist

“Employment turned my life around. It gave me confidence, something to do and I met some cool people!" Daniel Davies, Technologist, Onteca, Liverpool

For Daniel Davies, finding a job he enjoys has made a real difference to his life. Daniel, has lived with mental health problems for the last thirteen years. He left university after being diagnosed with schizophrenia and later on had to stop working when he developed dissociative disorder and could no longer manage the demands of his job. However, after receiving support from Network Employment, an employment service working within the Merseyside based Mersey Care NHS Trust, Daniel was able to return to work. Network Employment works with individuals like Daniel who have experienced mental health problems and who want to get back to work.

Talents and skills

After enrolling on a course at Toxteth TV, Daniel’s employment prospects improved. His talents and skills were noticed by Jon Wetherall, Manager of Onteca, a company which works closely with Toxteth TV. He was invited to work for Onteca and for the last four years has been employed as a Technologist with the company. Daniel works in the fast-moving world of mobile and web based technologies and is involved in programming, web design, database design and development, and mobile phone development.

Employer's story

Onteca employs three disabled people in total and Manager, Jon, is committed to giving them the support they need to do their work. However, Jon respects the fact that each person has their own specific needs. “I don’t generalise about disability because each of our disabled employees have to be treated as individuals and have different support needs” says Jon.

Daniel was recruited because Jon was impressed with his programming and computer graphic skills. In previous jobs, he had developed software for factory management systems and also has a talent for designing computer games.

Access to Work

Daniel does not require any particular support at work but does need to be accompanied when he works outside the office. When appropriate, assistance is provided for Daniel through Access to Work. This is a Jobcentre Plus scheme that offers practical advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to suit the needs of an individual in a particular job.

Jon is realistic about the fact that there are limits to the amount of external support that can be made available to companies from Access to Work but is confident that even without this support the company will provide whatever support is needed for Daniel and their other disabled employees.

Employee's story

For someone who has lived with mental health problems since he was twelve, being able to work in an industry he loves has given Daniel much more than just a job. Daniel says, “Before I started working again, I just used to sit around in my room playing games and writing programmes”.  

Being able to work has helped Daniel in many ways. It has raised his confidence levels and given him the opportunity to develop his creative skills. Daniel has paranoid schizophrenia but being employed in a job he loves has given him the opportunity to make the most of his talents and skills. Daniel who has around 14 years experience of programming and software development, says that work has also given him both a focus in life and the opportunity to meet people with similar interests. He is a productive and valued member of the team at Onteca.

Raised awareness

Daniel’s own experience of disability has raised his awareness of the barriers disabled people face. This has, to some extent, influenced his website design work. “When I’m designing websites, I try to make them more accessible for disabled people” says Daniel. As far as barriers facing disabled people who want to work, Daniel’s advice is simple “Try and find a job doing something you love”.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•