Our awesome clients: Possability People
At BrightMinded, we know that our clients are some of the best in their fields. But one day we thought to ourselves, does everyone else know? We’re sure that many people are aware of the great work they do, but just in case you aren’t, we’ve decided to introduce them to you in this series of spotlights called ”Our awesome clients”. We’ll tell you all about their impressive achievements, how they’re doing it, and how we managed to get involved with them.
The first client we want to shine the spotlight on is Possability People, a charity based here in Brighton & Hove, who provide a range of services to anyone with a disability or impairment. As their name would suggest, they open doors which allow society’s most marginalised and disadvantaged people to access information and services to help improve their health and well-being.
They have helped lots of people with the services they provide. One example is a woman named Caroline, who suffers from uncontrolled epilepsy. She was denied her Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and tried to appeal it herself, but it was also denied. At this point, Possability People’s Advice Centre was there to help her. She appealed again, this time with the help of Advocacy Service provided by the charity, and her ESA was reinstated.
When we started working with Possability People they were looking for a digital partner to help them develop the digital services that are central to their continuing development. As well as day-to-day management of their digital platforms, they required advice and technical insight to help them make the right business decisions.
The first stage of our partnership was a refresh of their website to help support their ambitious aims. It was key that the website we created was easily accessible to their clients and staff, allowing Possibility People to keep up with the ever-changing needs of their service users. Our design partner Sarah (Borderless) created simple, clear designs that were implemented by the engineering team to create a site that is easier to navigate and fits their new name better.
Once the new website was up and running, we started work on a platform where local business and service providers can post events and activities, allowing everyone to easily see what’s going on locally. The platform is called It’s Local, Actually, a clever play on the trademark saying of those living in Hove when asked whether they live in Brighton – “Hove, actually”. The key driver for Possability People was again to provide easy access to activities that will be fun for everyone, irrespective of ability, without having to travel too far.
The third platform we have created for Possability People to date, PA Noticeboard, also brings people together. A collection of sites allows people in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex to find personal assistants to help out with everyday tasks and generally just make life easier. This is another important aspect for the charity as many of those they assist need an extra helping hand. The PA Noticeboard platform has since been adopted by the Portsmouth and Isle of Wight Councils.
All in all, we think Possability People are a fantastic organisation with a great goal, providing some desperately needed services. Helping them has not only allowed us to help a good cause we believe in, but also get more involved in our local area, Brighton & Hove. Combining these two elements has resulted in a great partnership we hope to continue long into the future.
PS: Should you feel so strongly about the good work being done by Possability People that you would like to support them, you can do so via their crowdfunding campaign. Their government funding has been cut recently, and they will make great use of any donation you can spare. Thanks!
Some statistics
- Possability People volunteers contribute 18,720 hours each year on average.
- There are over 450 members of the Get Involved Group and Disability Collective.
- The Advice Centre dealt with almost 4,500 enquiries last year.
- In 2018, Link Back had 273 referrals made into the service; made 125 support planning visits at home and 38 telephone support calls, so that older people were supported to get on with their lives after a stay in hospital.
- The Community Employment Service has supported 535 disabled people and people with long term health conditions who want to make the move towards work, volunteering or training.
- The Right Track team received 273 referrals from across the MSK Partnership to support people with musculoskeletal aches and pain. Over 500 people used the Shopmobility service last year.