A DISABLED mother who feared she would never be able to find a job has spoken of her joy after landing her perfect career.

Kelly Allen, from Bury, is partially sighted and has dyspraxia, which affects her mobility.

Since being a schoolgirl she had been out of work for 16 years and faced daily challenges managing her health issues.

Her inability to find work had left her feeling miserable and she had little hope of being able to secure paid work when she reached out to the Jobcentre in Bury.

Ms Allen said: “I was feeling so depressed after being out of work for so long.

“I felt that my dyspraxia and my visual impairment were a barrier to finding work and I would never get a job.

"Now that my daughter is a teenager, I wanted to show her that it is important to go to work and generate an income.”

Through Bury's Jobcentre Plus, Ms Allen was referred to the Working Well work and health programme.

As part of the scheme, which is delivered by employment and training support firm Ingeus, Ms Allen took part in a special workshop teaching her how to disclose her health conditions during job interviews.

She then worked on coping strategies during one-on-one sessions with the programme's mental health practitioner.

Support staff also helped her to reconstruct her CV based on suitable types of work she could undertake, and Ms Allen further secured an ECDL IT qualification.

At the end of the programme Ms Allen was overjoyed to land a job as a pupil escort for Bury Council.

She now accompanies the driver of a special transport vehicle which collects youngsters from Elton Community Primary School at the start and end of every school day.

During the journey her role includes making sure the children travel safely and a seated and wearing their seatbelts, a position she said is "tailor made for me".

She added: “I understand their issues because of my own early experiences and I always find a way to make them feel relaxed and confident even if it’s just a ‘high-five’ hand clap before we begin the journey.

“I have felt for so long that I was just standing still and not achieving anything.

"I received my diagnosis when I was in my early teens and I remember that I had to battle to try and keep up when I was at school. I have such empathy for people, young and old, who face difficult challenges.

“You can’t give up ­— we can all make a contribution and develop our lives.

"When I do have some spare time, I am playing the drums in a band that is made up of members from the Bury Society for Blind and Partially Sighted People.

"My family is proud of me and I am happy that I am finally making progress again with my life.”