AFK - Working with Disability

AFK - Working with Disability (formerly Action For Kids) is a national charity supporting disabled children and young people age 0-25 by providing mobility equipment around the UK, as well as preparing students with learning disabilities for life after school through our accredited education, training and work experience programmes. Our organisation works with 100s of disabled children and young people each year to help enable them to overcome many of the social, physical, and financial barriers to their independence.

www.afkcharity.org

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Latest News

AFK Celebrates 30 Years of providing specialist equipment, education and employment support for disabled children and young people

We can’t believe it’s been 30 years since our founder Sally Bishop raised money for a powered wheelchair for a neighbour’s disabled son.

Since then we have provided hundreds of pieces of mobility equipment, provided thousands of training sessions and supported many young disabled adults into paid work. Find out more about history here. https://www.afkcharity.org/about-us/our-history/

Our 30^th anniversary provides the ideal opportunity to say ‘thank you’ for your support over the years. Your time, generosity and support have allowed us to help disabled young people live more independent lives since 1992.

Please take 5 minutes to watch our special anniversary film here https://youtu.be/bCU0FGUHZf0 and here's to the next 30!

Devalle's on the ball with his new job at SideOut

AFK trainee Devalle joined our Life and Work Programme in the middle of the pandemic after he had finished his Sports BTEC course at college. Devalle has a learning disability and is interested in coaching. During the pandemic, Devalle joined many of the online sessions that my AFK hosted, including an 8-week course around leadership development. A few weeks after completing the leadership programme, Devalle was asked to volunteer during our Easter Holiday Activity Programme. Devalle’s leadership qualities really shone during this opportunity; he confidently led his own session and worked well with the young people.

SideOut have been AFK's long-term event partners for our annual volleyball fundraising event, AFK Beach, and now they're joining our impressive list of employment partners. Devalle completed a work trial with SideOut in June, which resulted in him being offered paid employment at the end of the month.

We're thrilled to see this partnership taking on a whole new dimension and we can't wait to see how the the future unfolds for Devalle!

Mobility Services is still Making a Difference

It's been a very strange, scary, and difficult year for people across the world and the effects on the population have been numerous. On top of the many existing societal barriers for disabled children, young people, and their families, the pandemic has led to increased isolation, health anxieties, and struggles to get the right support and care.

The pandemic's impact will be ongoing and long-lasting, so it has been more important than ever before that we continue delivering our vital services. Despite the various struggles charities have been experiencing, AFK has continued to provide live-changing mobility equipment for disabled children and young people across the UK.

The young people and families we have spoken to have relayed the importance of having the right equipment, especially during lockdown, which has enabled them to explore the outdoors, engage in exercise, and spend time with the family.

We would like to take a moment to thank our dedicated and loyal supporters who allowed us to continue our work. We look forward to working with you and all our new, future supporters in the future so we can continue doing what we love and making a lasting difference.

From everyone at AFK, thank you!

About us

Research by the Department for Work and Pensions has revealed there are 7 million people in the UK who have a disability that affects mobility. Of those 7 million, approximately 360k (5.1%) are children and young people aged 0-24. One of the needs of these individuals is appropriate equipment which enables mobility in the world, specifically specialist powered and manual wheelchairs with bespoke seating and postural support for each individual. Our mobility services team addresses this need by providing specialist mobility equipment for children and young people up to the age 25 that is not covered by the NHS. This includes powered and manual wheelchairs, specialist trikes, buggies, car seats, walkers, power packs, and power assists. We also commit to covering all maintenance and repair costs for our powerchairs.

There are 1.4 million people in the UK who have a learning disability, yet, just 6% are in paid employment. There is a chronic shortage of choice and opportunity. Disabled young peoples’ self-esteem, expectations and aspirations are low and as children they are rarely asked the question: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” At AFK we work in 8 London boroughs to offer a wide range of personalised education, training and employability programmes, work placements and supported employment opportunities with the charity and external employers. We also provide advocacy and life-skills support. 77% of the trainees who have found employment with our support have stayed in their role.

At AFK we recognise and acknowledge individual potential and provide a range of programmes to address the hurdles that disabled children and young people face. Our goal is to help improve mobility and develop children and young people’s skills and prospects to enable them to achieve a better quality of life and health, access new opportunities, and achieve success.

We do not charge for any of our services and rely entirely on support from companies, trusts and individuals to deliver our services.