SAMEE Project

The Support And Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE) charity was founded in October 2016 to teach self-employment and employability skills enabling disabled people to gain further independence by creating their own income.

We are trying to narrow the disability employment gap by supporting disabled people in a holistic way to explore non-traditional forms of employment and training that will fit around their health challenges and reduce the barriers they face to employment.

From our research, we have found that people with disabilities and long-term health conditions want to engage with work, but they often find that the working environment disables them more than their own actual impairment.

In May 2020 our Disability Confident Leader Level 3 status was re-awarded, and our programmes were recognised for encouraging the aspirations of disabled people and challenging the stereo-typical views held by some employers in relation to hiring disabled people for their workforce.

Our programme teaches employability skills via a consultative mix of group work, careers guidance and peer mentoring with qualified and experienced advisers. Each careers-based session leads towards skills being taught for both employment and self-employment preparation with additional support throughout from volunteer business mentors.

Our SAMEE team of advisers have proven lived experience of living with a disability and managing their own career or caring for someone with a disability.  They also have worked with community organisations such as Guide Dogs and DeafPluss to ensure that they have the skills needed to work with a particular disability or long-term health condition.

Our service is unique because it offers disabled young people intensive personalised support with consistent, experienced advisers.  Our SAMEE team of advisers help them consider and explore the widest range of employment and training aspirations that are relevant and achievable in relation to their health challenges.

Our personalised support encourages each young person to set the agenda for their careers guidance meetings and defines the goals they wish to achieve whilst working with us.  Our level 6 qualified Careers Information, Advice and Guidance team are able to offer personalised guidance services and support with exploring aspirational, relevant and suitable career goals to help them build confidence and boost opportunities to progress into the workplace.

Our programme is highly recommended due to the expert knowledge and lived experience we can share.  We are widely respected for the personalised advice and guidance we can offer and the bespoke resources we have created to effectively support disabled young people on their journey to independence.

Referral by a communication method suitable to the young person

Evidence needed is proof of national insurance number, date of birth and address

We work with the young person for two years then support them with a transition to a business mentor