Get Back to Work, Ya Slacker! ;-)

Brian will soon be rejoinng the workforce! It won't be easy for him, but he's motivated, capable and positive enough for such an important step! And a large part of it is thanks to YOUR love and support over these past few years! This is just the beginning of the reward for all your attention and resources you've sent Brian's way. From the bottom of our hearts, thanks! Here's the full text of RTE's comment's on Brian's "Job Shadow Day:"

In conjunction with the IASE (Irish Association of Supported Employment), RTÉ was delighted to be part of Job Shadow Day on Wednesday 24th April.

This national project brings people with disabilities together with local employers for one day, affording participants the opportunity to explore a chosen field of work by “shadowing” an employee with the overall objective of promoting equal employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Visiting RTÉ yesterday were Brian Hogan from Limerick and Aaron Richardson from Co.Wicklow, both of whom are keenly interested in a career in Media.

Brian, who wishes to specialise in Radio broadcasting, went in to The Mooney Show to spend the day with Derek and the production team. As a graduate of UL, Brian had been working in England as a quantity surveyor for nine years when, in 2009, as the result of an unprovoked attack, he was left partially paralysed and fully blind. The 35-year-old is now a client of Headway, an organisation which helps people rebuild their lives after brain injury.

Speaking about his experience as a jobseeker, Brian believes that the main challenge is in changing peoples’ perspectives “Sometimes, when employers see someone in a wheelchair or someone with a disability, they might think they’re not the full ‘compos mentis’, or that they’re a liability. If someone takes the time to sit and talk to you, often their preconceptions around disability evaporate.”

Brian’s sister wrote to us yesterday and commented as follows “Brian feels that now he is disabled and blind, people no longer view him as he once was, but he felt very normal yesterday and what a boost to his confidence!!”

Aaron’s focus is on film, drama, TV and performance and he was happy to dive in to the cut and thrust of Young Peoples’ programming, working with the ELev8 team. Aaron, who is 22, has a number of health challenges and Asperger Syndrome. Aaron was also in RTÉ on Tuesday, when he appeared on Morning Edition to talk about Job Shadow Day and you can watch his interview with Keelin Shanley here

RTÉ Communications would like to thank The Mooney Show and the Elev8 team for allowing us to be a part of Job Shadow Day and for ensuring that both Aaron and Brian had an experience of RTÉ that exceeded their expectations.

Below are some photos from Brian's interview on RTE! Thanks to everyone involved for publicizing this great opportunity for Brian!