Chatmoss Herbs
Chatmoss Herbs has successfully employed a learning disabled person as production assistant. Ken Englehard is now an important member of the staff and his responsibilities include cleaning jobs and disposing of products rejected by quality control. The company manager, Denise Mottram, describes Ken as: “very, very reliable and very, very good at what he does.” She says that he is “now part of the team in every sense of the word, and we really miss him a very great deal when he goes on leave.”
Denise says that it has been both easy and very fulfilling to employ someone with a learning disability. The company has obtained ongoing support from social services and has provided a mentor to Ken, who provides support whenever required. For instance, Ken’s mentor helps him understand and complete forms which are an essential part of his work. The company also ensured that all his training needs were met by courses that provided either visual or oral tuition and testing, or a mentor to take him through the paperwork. Ken also works hours that suit him, from 8.30 till 14.30.
Denise adds: “Hiring Ken has been extremely successful for us, and we have learned so much about enabling disabled people, experience which we will be able to use when hiring other disabled people in the future.”