- December 3, 2024
When Uriah Grebby was adopted by his mum, she was told he’d never walk or talk – essentially, that he would struggle more than other people around him. Today, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Uriah has learning difficulties, cerebral palsy, and deafness. He is also an inquisitive, talkative young man who exemplifies diligence, hard work, and is an inspiration for others.
After studying at Choices College, an NHS England college that helps young people build up their education and real-life work experience, Uriah’s mum Cath found out about SBFM and applied for a role on Uriah’s behalf. Cath spoke to our recruitment team to discuss his disabilities and needs, and that’s where she and Uriah learned about our Evolve scheme.
Just after he turned eighteen, Uriah began a role as a part-time cleaner at PureGym, in Durham. Since he started, Uriah’s success has opened up new pathways for other disabled people on the Evolve programme.
Uriah’s beginnings
Uriah was born in South Africa, and placed into an orphanage at five months old, where he was put up for adoption. At a year old, he underwent brain scans and was initially diagnosed with the neurological anomaly known as the Dandy-Walker variant (now known as the Dandy-Walker malformation). His diagnosis made it difficult for Uriah to be adopted.
Uriah’s mum Cath was volunteering at the orphanage as a physiotherapist, and while helping Uriah, she noticed that he had considerable capabilities beyond his initial diagnosis. Once Uriah received the right support, he progressed quickly and learned to walk, though his speech and language were still delayed. Once Uriah turned three, he was diagnosed with deafness. Once his hearing needs were met, his speech began to develop.
Due to difficulties adopting from overseas, Cath chose to stay in South Africa for three years so she could adopt Uriah, and eventually take him back to her home in the UK. Uriah was officially adopted age four and when he was nearly five, he came to the UK with Cath and was enrolled in a Special Education Needs (SEN) school, which tailors education for children with disabilities.
Cath always found that Uriah’s disabilities never stopped him from trying just about anything. Though he cannot read or write in the same way others can, he’s an articulate and determined young man who has always enjoyed cleaning and keeping things orderly. That made him a perfect candidate for a cleaning role, but his work applications were often overlooked.
Uriah’s time at Choices College
When Uriah finished his school education, he enrolled at NHS England’s Choice College, an NHS England specialist college that provides tailored educational support, and a supported internship course for young adults aged 16-24 with learning difficulties, disabilities and Autism. Alyson Goldwater, Area Manager at the college, was impressed with Uriah’s quick progress and determination throughout his studies:
“Uriah is a bright and hard-working young man we had the pleasure of teaching on one of our courses at Choices College. Our interns spend a year learning maths, English and employability skills before attending work placements.
“Our organisation partners with NHS healthcare settings, local organisations and private businesses to create supported work environments and provide real-world work experience for our interns – they can attend up to three 12-week placements with a Choices College Partner.
“In Uriah’s case, he did incredibly well on his 18-month course. He excelled so much that we were able to taper back elements of support so that he could work more independently. When we found out about Evolve, we realised this could be a wonderful and positive opportunity for Uriah. His work was incredible with us, and we knew his experience would be excellent at PureGym too.”
Uriah’s Mum Cath’s perspective:
While Uriah studied at Choices College, Cath explored job options for him. She found that employers were dismissive as soon as she mentioned Uriah’s disabilities until she heard about SBFM and our Evolve programme.
“Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of supporting Uriah in becoming the amazing young man he is today – bright, capable and wonderful to talk to.
“I first found out about the PureGym work opportunity for Uriah after speaking with SBFM recruiters over the phone. I mentioned that Uriah would need additional support in the role, and for the first time, I was told that SBFM sees that as a positive and not a negative because they want to build up support for those with additional needs.
“I’d never heard that before and was honestly blown away in terms of the support we received – not just over the phone, but through all the contact they had with me. I felt as though I was able to tell them things about Uriah and his disabilities that I’d felt frightened to tell employers in the past. It had previously felt like, if I did detail his struggles, they’d put up barriers that Uriah would have to work even harder to break down so that he would have the same opportunities as everyone else.
“With SBFM and Evolve, they broke down those barriers right from the get-go, and it’s been life-changing for Uriah. He’s thriving in this new position at PureGym and is so excited to see where this role could lead him in the future.”
Adapting to different people’s needs
As with many young people entering the workforce, Uriah is still working out his best approach to the job. His disabilities mean that employers need to work with Uriah and Cath to develop solutions for problems they were previously unaware of.
For example, for his initial shifts, Uriah found it helpful to have another person drive him to work and accompany him, whether that be his Mum, Dad, Alyson, or another family friend. He now feels confident to work on his own. Unlike the traditional written instructions given to recruits, Uriah learns by doing a task and then memorising it, as he cannot learn through written instructions. Our Evolve team and PureGym made sure that his induction involved practical demonstrations and provided a whiteboard with diagram instructions for his daily tasks.
Now, Uriah is going to take part in instructional videos that show how to turn on and use different equipment. This will be used to help train other Evolve recruits. Like Uriah, many disabled people thrive with visual depictions, rather than written instructions. By working together, SBFM and PureGym are learning how to best adapt their standard routines for Uriah and the disabled community.
Uriah started working at one gym for eight hours a week and has now worked up to working in three gyms for 18 hours a week. Like so many other disabled people who want to work, Uriah is dedicated and prepared to go great lengths for his job – including being willing to travel for relatively short shifts, something many would not actively volunteer to do. He hopes with time to move into a full-time position and our Evolve team and PureGym will work with him every step of the way to achieve that.
Talking about his perspective, Uriah said: “Working as a cleaner at PureGym, I’ve found that the teams are really friendly and nice. I enjoy cleaning; I’d say it’s a passion of mine. I find that when I clean, the first thing I feel is happiness. Currently, I’m working part-time and building up my skills in this new position, but I hope to work full-time in the future. I can’t help but think to myself, ‘if you can’t do a job right, what’s the point of doing it at all?’
“Before this role, I never thought I’d be able to get a job. That’s what I would always say to my mum. Now, I love working for SBFM through the Evolve scheme, everyone is welcoming, and it’s opened up opportunities I never thought I could have.”
Looking ahead
With the help of Uriah and his mum, Evolve has adapted to better understand the different needs of disabled workers. For many young disabled people leaving education, entering the workforce is not easy. As Cath reflected, many of Uriah’s fellow Choices College interns have struggled to find paid roles, and have ended up in unpaid volunteering roles.
These young people are invigorated and ready to start in positions, but their disabilities, whether neurological or physical, can be a barrier to employment. Now, Choices College and our Evolve programme are working together to provide new, catered career paths for its disabled interns.
Everyone deserves the right to learn and be compensated for the work that they do. With pathways like Evolve, teamwork between institutions like PureGym and Choices College, and strong advocates for disabled people like Cath, lives can be transformed and dreams can become a reality.