Charity has championed disabled rights for over a century.

Edgbaston MP Gisela Stuart recognised the commitment of people with disabilities to gaining employment when she visited the Birmingham base of the national Advance2work (A2W) project recently. Although under threat from government cutbacks, A2W achieves outstanding results in helping disabled adults find and keep jobs.

Gisela presented certificates of achievement to clients at the recent open day and addressed an audience of clients, staff, employers and Disability Employment Advisors, commenting “The expert support from Advance2work helps people achieve real and sustainable employment. The government’s Work Programme is failing to meet the needs of many individuals with disabilities and programmes such as A2W ensure that people can move from benefits to jobs and maintain their self-respect as active members of society.”

A2W is a part of charity Queen Alexandra College (QAC), which has supported people with disabilities in Birmingham for more than a century. Gisela has recognised the work of QAC over many years and has actively supported the rights and potential of disabled employees.

A2W manager Sherv Garcha said, “We greatly appreciate Gisela’s interest and support for our work. We are working hard to convince the government that the relatively small cost of programmes like A2W deliver brilliant results and change lives of people with disabilities for better, for ever. We hope that the funding can be protected to the benefit of this committed group of people.”

For more information please visit www.advance2work.co.uk