​ ​	Kavita Bowry, Communications and Development Manager at Share Community with her final blog of the year. Here, she talks about Share’s work in 2017, the organisation’s wish for Christmas, and how you can help.

We believe everyone has something to offer others. And, at Share Community, we have only one wish at Christmas, and it’s the same one each year! To make this world a better place for disabled people, an inclusive world where diversity is valued and everyone is treated equally.

You might say that is a grand vision for a local charity, but each year we take one more step towards our mission to help disabled people realise their potential, have greater choice and independence, and live healthier, happier lives.

Over the past year, we’ve focused much of our energies on breaking down some of the health inequalities faced by disabled adults through our Healthy Living Programme which promotes healthy eating and exercise among our students, and works in partnership with local organisations to improve accessibility for disabled people and their experiences of using health services.
 

Another area of our work at Share concentrates on increasing employment opportunities for disabled people. This means changing employers’ perceptions about employing disabled people. We’re not talking about compromising on customer service or business goals, but simply recognising the valuable contributions this workforce can make to the success of an organisation.
 

As part of our social inclusion programme, Go Anywhere, Do Anything, which supports people with learning disabilities and autism to have fun by literally going anywhere and doing anything they would like, we advocate the importance of better accessibility and customer service for disabled people within the community and society in general – educating others to take a more inclusive approach for all.

But we still have much work to do if we are to truly change the world. So, this Christmas, can you help our wish come true? We’d love you to join our wonderful community. As well as donating, there are so many ways you can support our work. Can you spare some time to volunteer to support our training programmes or as a social buddy with Go Anywhere, Do Anything? Can you provide work experience opportunities for our students? Do you have a special skill that you can share with our students? Visit our website to find out how you can get involved with Share’s work or email Share’s CEO, Annie McDowall, anniem@sharecommunity.org.uk to discuss how you can work in partnership with us.

As we sign off the last Share blog of 2017, all the remains is for us to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has supported Share and the work we do, and to wish everyone all the very best over the festive period. We look forward to seeing you in 2018!

Share Community provides training and employment support for disabled adults, including those with learning disabilities, autism, physical/sensory impairments and mental health needs. To find out more about Share’s work or how you can get involved, visit our website at www.sharecommunity.org.uk