Autism Berkshire’s benefits expert Kevin Jackson is now running a series of free Understanding Your Rights workshops, looking at benefits and how to apply, and employment support for young people and adults.
They are held at Autism Berkshire’s office in Reading and the next workshop, on Monday, August 12, from 10am to noon, is aimed at autistic young people and adults (aged 16+) and their parents/carers who live in Berkshire, or who attend a college or university in the county.
Kevin will talk about what benefits are available to those aged 16+, particularly Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit, the do’s and don’ts of how to complete application forms, what supporting evidence to include in an application and the benefits appeals process.
He will also look at what employment advice and support is available locally to young people and adults and explain disabled people’s rights in the workplace and reasonable adjustments that they can request.
The move from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP for 16-year-olds and the new Universal Credit benefit for adults can be difficult to navigate, along with routes into employment, so we would strongly advise autistic young people and adults and their parents and carers to attend.
We will be running this workshop again later in the year, along with other Understanding Your Rights sessions tailored for the parents and carers of autistic children aged under 16, which will focus on applications for Disability Living Allowance (DLA).
The aim is to increase people’s confidence dealing with the benefits system, making applications, and increase understanding of how the system works and the processes involved.
Click here for more details and to register for free places at this workshop.
Please note that we will still be providing our one-to-one benefits advice service to help people complete application forms if necessary.
Click here for more information about our Benefits Service.
- This series of workshops is supported by New Directions, Reading Borough Council’s adult education and employment support service.
