“I’ve gained skills and confidence”

Missing out on a job opportunity can be demoralising at the best of times. But when the reason is disability discrimination, it’s devastatingly unfair.

This is what Maryanne was facing. She was keen to grow her skills through training programmes and to find employment, but the roles and opportunities available didn’t offer the reasonable accommodation she required to support her to learn and participate.

Maryanne is in her early 30s and lives in Kenya. She has a speech impairment, and to support her to work it’s helpful to have different communication options, including things like text-to-speech apps or sign language interpretation services.

Because many training providers and employers don’t factor in these kinds of adjustments for staff, Maryanne worried about her future career prospects. But a breakthrough came in the form of two disability-inclusive projects she gained access to: Futuremakers by Standard Chartered (an employability skills training programme) and the IT Bridge Academy (an IT skills programme).

How our programmes make a difference

“For the Futuremakers programme, I saw a call on social media to join and learn about CV writing,” Maryanne says. “I applied and I was selected. We were taken through different components for three months and onboarded on the Accenture platform. The IT Bridge opportunity was posted on the WhatsApp group we had formed for Futuremakers.”

Through both programmes, Maryanne learned practical skills and techniques to help her navigate the job market. “I was not so good at writing CVs and cover letters, especially when it came to bringing out my achievements, but my CV and cover letters are now standing out,” she says.

“All the different entities of the programme empowered me socially and economically. I gained skills, and self-confidence, as well as friends and mentors whose support continues to be vital in my career journey. We were also exposed to different companies and networking events. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity.”

After graduating from the IT Bridge Academy, Maryanne has successfully transitioned into a career at United Disabled Persons of Kenya. She’s now working for the award-winning EnableMe interactive platform, which provides access to disability-related information, self-help peer communities and digital services. She’s also developing an app to help people with hearing impairments detect emergency sounds, using skills she developed during the IT Bridge Academy.