Mariwan Inferadi is a Kurdish Mental Health Act Administration Assistant. He has an eye condition called Leber Amaurosis, where he has no other perceptions aside from light and dark. He did an undergraduate in Law and a postgraduate in international law and diplomacy. Towards the end of 2021, he got his current role with the NHS. Here is our conversation with him, where he discusses his current role, how he tackled the application process and how he approached reasonable adjustments.
How did you find university, law and your masters?
‘It was challenging, especially when you compare it to my sighted colleagues but I am somebody who embraces challenges and tried to deal with things as best as I could. If I could turn the clock back, I don’t think I would pursue a masters. For the job that I am in at the moment, it does not require a masters at all. In my view, unless you have a desire to get into academia, it isn’t necessary. I don’t regret it because I really enjoyed it, but I feel that if I had all my time back, I would have pursued work straight away.’
What motivated you at the time to do a masters?
‘I really enjoyed my time at university and I just didn’t want to get out of it, I met a lot of interesting people, I have still got many good friends who I have stayed in touch with. You know the experience of university, when you are there, you don’t want to get out, but once you get out and you enter the world of work, you have to step back and re-evaluate things. What I have learnt in this job so far, is that everything you choose to do you have to ask why am I doing this? At the time, even though I felt really passionate about the subject and I did well, one of my main motivations was that the experience of university was amazing and I didn’t want to leave. The other reason why I stayed at university was that every time I heard about the lack of people with disabilities in the employment sector, it prevented me from pursuing work, as it made me question the likelihood in finding a job. Try not to let these statistics influence your decisions, as from my experience in work, they have been extremely helpful and accepting towards my disability.’
Can you tell us about your current role and what your responsibilities look like?
‘I am a mental health act administration assistant. My role involves scrutinising statutory documents, so when patients are being detained, we make sure that their detention is legal. I make sure that doctors, clinicians, lawyers and judges have the right documents and reports. The role also involves organising tribunals, hosting hearings and advising patients with respect to their rights, so we provide reports to doctors, clinicians, psychiatrists and judges, I wouldn’t say its administration, I think it is a lot more than an admin job.’
Was mental health something you were interested in before?
‘Not initially, but mental health is an area that is growing massively, I also studied modules in my undergraduate law degree, plus the job that I am doing involves me using my skills that I learnt from university. You are helping people, and you are also trying to use the legal skills and knowledge that you learnt in your degrees, which is what I have always wanted to do. ‘
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
‘If I get a promotion in this job I will be very happy. At the same time, if new opportunities arise I would want to go out and challenge myself.. The next step up is a band 5 mental health act administrator, which means you would become a line manager. It would be a job which not only has security, but also would enable me to develop greater leadership skills.’
Can you tell us about your job search?
‘I met James at the end of my postgraduate degree after getting in touch, we had a chat, he helped me apply to the NHS graduate scheme. Then I spoke to Chantelle who advised me to register on indeed, and charity jobs, I knew the type of job that I wanted to go for, so I created job alerts for those kinds of jobs and would get these daily. I would then look at the job descriptions and person spec, if I felt I could do 90% of the job, I would apply, send my cover letter to Chantelle, who would tell me how to improve it. I went for as many jobs as I could, So every time I had an interview, I used to get in touch with Chantelle, who I could not thank enough. She was tremendous, she would be more than happy to organise mock interviews, and she was so helpful to me. If she had criticism she would say it, and I would take it on board.
At one point, I had 8 interviews in one week, which was the same week I got this job. I tried to take on board all of the feedback Chantelle gave me, and for the interviews that I attended which I wasn’t successful, I used to ask for their comments. I used both sets of feedback when preparing for my next interview, so I could improve. This was the first interview of the week and I found out the next day I got it, and I couldn’t believe it.’
Can you tell us about the process of getting reasonable adjustments?
‘When I got my job, I asked my line manager if I can test things out so I can see what works, and what doesn’t, to ensure I had an instant impact. The theoretical side was not an issue, the practical side was more important for me, so I had a conversation with my line manager, we went through and established what my duties are. For the aspects that I cannot do, I wanted to conduct my own research to see how I can overcome these obstacles. So the systems we use, which is a big part of the job were not compatible with my software. I got my line manager involved who was more than happy to be part of this, I got a scripting company who worked on the site, which took them 2 to 3 months. I couldn’t afford to wait around until I start the role, and they start the work, so this company made changes to the site, which meant that when I started the work, they made everything go smoothly. ‘
What tips do you have for visually impaired individuals with navigating reasonable adjustments?
‘Don’t be hesitant in asking for reasonable adjustments, as it is what will enable you to succeed in your job. You know your own capabilities. Before you start any job, try to speak to your line manager, work out your duties, speak to them about the bit you can’t perform. Before asking to make changes, see whether you can deliver the task in any way, and if you can’t be honest and open about it.’
What are your top tips for someone wanting to enter your field?
‘I would say if you really wanted to enter my field develop administrative skills, attention to detail, having an undergraduate is vital. I also think for someone who is visually impaired, as university is a challenge, it shows that they are able to overcome these challenges. Attention to detail is really important because you are dealing with scrutinising statutory documents.’
Get in touch if you are looking, applying, or starting to think about jobs and your career. We are here to provide support and guidance through events, mentoring, work experience and one to one help.
You can call us on 020 7588 1885, or email james@blindinbusiness.org.uk.