From Learner to Volunteer, Journey to Work Graduate, Apprentice, Colleague
Maddy is a young lady with Autism who was originally at Derby College studying Health Care when she was diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). This led to many health difficulties and the College no longer being able to meet her needs.
At this time there was a lack of services to help continue her education as she didn’t quite fit the differing criteria. After a number of challenging conversations with local decision makers and services, other options were explored to enable her education to continue. Transition2 came forward and offered her a place as a learner even though they only had students with learning difficulties and none with autism only. Maddy was really unsure at the time about the suitability and how she would interact with the other students and staff due to being ‘different’. If I’m honest she felt ‘she was just being hidden out of sight’ a pattern that she has experienced over the years.
Upon starting at Transition2 Maddy was in a wheelchair, unable to walk due to the FND and needed to be pushed by a support worker. This was difficult for her as not knowing people is not easy, however Maddy did attend and in a room on her own (with support), she sat quietly, was withdrawn from interactions with her hoody firmly up, airpods in for noise distraction and head down. She felt like she did not fit in, but would do her ‘learning’ work quietly.
Maddy however is ‘all in’ if she is doing something and continued to attend Transition2. She slowly started to build a relationship with Angie, her Key Worker, and other staff who had cheerfully engaged with Maddy, even when met with silence staff continued to carefully keep on communicating with Maddy in a way that worked for her. Maddy started engaging at a low level within the class environment.
Transition2 were also learning about her and the staff created a personalised learning programme based around her rather than a standard curriculum. There were bumps along the way, but by working together, ways of working and solutions have always been found. This enabled Maddy to gain further confidence in those around her and her own abilities. Maddy was seen as a person who could, rather than how the system is geared to the deficit of model of ‘could not’.
In 2024 Maddy graduated from her learning programme at Transition2. There was a discussion about Maddy becoming a volunteer after the summer. Maddy was unsure initially, and this was made even more challenging by her having an inpatient stay for 5 months to work on her FND symptoms. Transition2 kept in communication with her throughout all of this time and were clear and steadfast in the opportunity and their ambitions for and with Maddy. ‘They still wanted her to join upon her return home in October 2024’. This type of unwavering support has been extremely beneficial.
Maddy started attending Transition2 in her voluntary role one day a week. Her confidence around working with other people has flourished and she takes any tasks and/or responsibilities given to her very seriously, ensuring that she completes all tasks to a high standard and on time. Maddy has attended out of ‘work’ social events with other staff and clearly enjoys their company, joking and talking openly, and forging work based friendships. This has helped her further develop her communication skills in everyday life with her being more confident about talking to professionals directly and explaining her point of view in a constructive and appropriate way.
With the support of Transition2, Maddy enrolled on and completed the Derby City Council Journey to Work programme which has led to the offer of a Customer Service Apprenticeship role with Transition2 from July 2025.
This is the opportunity we have always seen as possible, the reason why we have continually challenged the Local Authority (LA) and Healthcare services. Maddy never wanted to be a disabled person on benefits, but it’s taken a whole family and Transition2 approach to get this far. We still experience challenges with organisations and services but feel much better placed and hopeful today.
We are more than thankful of the opportunities that Maddy has been given by Transition2 and would recommend that challenging of the ‘normal’ processes and policies can lead to positive outcomes for other individuals.
Maybe Maddy’s journey from initial contact to LA/NHS could be used more widely to look at the ‘art of the possible’. I would suggest that Transition2 needs recognising on both a local and national level for their individualised approach that will not only benefit Maddy and her family, but reduce the impact on public funds too.
Matt and Vicky Whittaker-Stokes (parents)
“The Maddy who now sits opposite me at work is a world away from the quiet, withdrawn young woman who first arrived at Transition2 – hoody up, mobility compromised, and hesitant to engage with others. Over time, her self-confidence and acceptance of herself grew, so much so that we spoke to her about remaining with us as an administration volunteer after graduating. She agreed and her volunteering commenced in September 2024. Her self-confidence and admin skills improved. Colleagues and I could see her potential to move into paid work but Maddy was unsure. We wondered how the jump to paid work could be made. We then began exploring the possibilities of the Derby City Council ‘Journey to Work’ programme and how this could potentially segue into an apprenticeship role. The structure of Journey to Work has enabled Maddy to reflect on her employability skills, establish her training needs and began to realise her potential and transition into the world of paid work.
She has found her voice, contributing meaningfully to planning meetings, joining after-work socials, sharing development ideas, joking with colleagues, and supporting new learners as a positive role model with a rich lived experience of SEND. Her ability to complete tasks competently – and the initiative she now shows in seeking out additional work – reflect a real shift in both skill, motivation and self-belief. What has impressed me most is her determination to push herself outside of her comfort zone, tackling challenges like making phone calls, performing complex administrative tasks, and just cracking on without any fuss.
She is an absolute joy to work with. Our conversations – both professional and personal – flow just as they do with other colleagues. And that’s exactly what she is, a trusted, hard-working, and valued member of the team.
Maddy’s progression at Transition2 has taken her from Learner to Volunteer, then Journey to Work participant, and now p/t Customer Service Apprentice and colleague. The Journey to Work programme has provided both Maddie and Transition2 with a strong foundation for moving into long term paid employment and we are very proud of all she’s achieved.”
Simon Hancox, Head of Service, Transition2
