Ian is 47, lives in Catrine and was diagnosed with
Aspergers syndrome at the age of 43.
• When I met Ian, his confidence was so low he couldn’t
make eye contact with me and he had no self-esteem. Ian and I met weekly, we updated his CV,
carried out job searches but never heard back from employers and this was
making Ian’s mental health dip as he felt he couldn’t pass the Aspergers
Syndrome label.
• I managed to source Ian a volunteering placement at
NCAFE in Cumnock (community Café in Netherthird Community Centre). Ian volunteered for four hours over two
days. During Ian’s time volunteering, I
saw him coming out of his shell, he became a different man, he was so much more
positive, confident and outgoing. The staff at the Café approached me and
advised that Ian was doing great and they would like to employ him.
• I arranged for a 26 week ESF wage incentive to be put
in place for Ian for 16 hours per week.
Ian was over the moon, you would have thought he had won the
lottery. Ian is sustaining his job with
no issues. Ian now pops in to my office
to have a catch up with myself and other Economic Development Staff before he
starts and when he finishes his shift.
Ian is always ready to start his shift 15-20 minutes in advance. Ian now also comes along to our client group
sessions and participates in all group activities.