Expanding Horizons: Chris's Story

“I couldn’t have done this without the support of Expanding Horizons – I learned how to meet people, promote my business and gain new business. Without the course, who would have been there to support and help me?”

Chris, 38, Liverpool

Chris Watson is profoundly deaf and communicates through BSL and lip-reading. His long-held dream of running his own business was held back by the attitudes of training agencies and franchise companies towards his disability, and a lack of individually tailored support. Joining Expanding Horizons’ Enterprise & Inclusion programme meant Chris could develop his business skills and overcome barriers to start Textawash, a mobile car valeting service. In the future Chris hopes he can offer jobs to other deaf people.

Only half of people with disabilities in the UK are in work, compared with 80 per cent of non-disabled adults. By providing support for people like Chris to start a business, Expanding Horizons creates:

• A net benefit to the economy of £6548 for each individual helped into work.
• Unquantifiable productivity gains to the UK economy – if the one million disabled people currently supported by incapacity benefit were helped into work it would save £7 billion over the next decade.