Sickle cell is recognised as one of the most common but also most serious genetic conditions in the United Kingdom. However, advances in medical treatment and healthcare provision for this population group, now means increased life expectancy. This entails that people with sickle cell are living longer and more people with sickle cell will be entering into employment. Young people will be particularly affected, as they seek meaningful careers which encompass personal, professional, as well as social growth, while contributing to society.
The aim of the project was to produce evidence of barriers and enablers to employment together with people with sickle cell and their voluntary organisations (Sickle Cell Society and OSCAR Sandwell). The co-produced research project was funded by the Disability Rights for Independent Living (DRILL) programme and the Big Lottery Fund to understand the barriers and enablers to employment for people with sickle cell from 2018-2020. The project produced a Guide to Sickle Cell and Employment:
PDF Version_Guide To Sickle Cell and Employment Version_1.1_2019
WORD Version_Guide To Sickle Cell and Employment Version_1.1_2019
The project also has a website: https://sicklecellwork.dmu.ac.uk/
Publication from the project is ongoing:
Berghs, M., & Dyson, S. M. (2022). Intersectionality and employment in the United Kingdom: Where are all the Black disabled people?. Disability & Society, 37(4), 543-566.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2020.1829556
Dyson, S. M., Atkin, K. M., Berghs, M. J., & Greene, A. M. (2021). On the possibility of a disabled life in capitalist ruins: Black workers with sickle cell disorder in England. Social Science & Medicine, 272, 113713.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953621000459
Berghs, M., Dyson, S., Greene, A. M., Atkin, K., & Morrison, V. (2021). ‘They Can Replace You at Any Time!’:(In) Visible Hyper-Ableism, Employment and Sickle Cell Disorders in England. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 23(1).