Students play key role in reimagining disability support

What if, instead of putting people in boxes, disability support services were as unique as the people they were designed for? 

That's the dream behind Flying Kites, a charity on a mission to ensure everyone who needs support is connected with motivated people they can actually connect with. This creates a whole new demand for support workers, a demand that the student workforce is helping to meet. 

In the last year, Flying Kites founder and CEO Ainsley Darvell has listed more than 120 jobs on Student Job Search, finding that students are particularly well suited to the flexible, highly individual roles the charity recruits for. 

Job titles such as 'Tech Tinkerer or Duck Defender Wanted', 'Weekday Smiles Specialist', 'Princess Helper & Playtime Explorer', and 'Morning Magician Wanted' give a real insight into the approach she takes to finding support workers. 

"Many people with disabilities get funding from the Government to hire their own staff," she says. 

"What we find is lots of families don't have energy or capacity to go and do that. We're like a recruitment agency, they come to us and we help find the right person." 

For Flying Kites, finding the right support worker is about much more than someone's qualifications or availability. 

"That's why all the job ads are different, because every person is different. 

"For these people with disabilities, connection and community are just as important as the care they need. It's a feeling of safety, the knowledge that they can feel safe and be themselves. There's a difference between someone who will show up and do the job, and someone who will genuinely connect and care." 

Their value isn't necessarily in arriving with years of experience. Often, it's their interests, life experience, enthusiasm and ability to relate to the person they're supporting that makes the match work. 

"It's all about finding someone who can become part of your community. Whether that's finding someone who plays the same computer games as you, or it's someone who enjoys getting outdoors – if it doesn't align, it's a waste of time. 

"We've had really great feedback about the students. Some might be in their first year of study, looking for their first job, or there might be someone who needs more complex support that suits a senior psychology student." 

Many of the students Flying Kites hires hadn't necessarily considered disability support work before. 

"It's people studying engineering, or off to medical school, it's all sorts of things. But it's supporting someone who plays a game you like, or you're taking them for walks on the beach. It doesn't have to be that you're going to go off and be a social worker. 

"If engineers understand disabilities and accessibility better, if accountants understood disability better, the world would be a better place. For me, that's a really important part of it, those long-term benefits." 

Many students who take up roles with Flying Kites enjoy it so much they come back looking for more work. 

"We get students coming back because they enjoyed the work so much, and families who come back saying 'that student was so great, can we get another one just like them?'. 

"Before I started Flying Kites I was working somewhere and was told I'd never find 18- or 19-year-old guys who want to do this job. I listed the job on Student Job Search and had 80 applicants within a week because the job was 'would you like to come and play Pokemon?'. 

"We don't focus on the need or the disability; we focus on creating a connection between two humans." 

For Flying Kites, the success of those matches shows what can happen when employers look beyond a traditional idea of who is right for a role. Students bring much more than availability for part-time work. Their interests, experiences and ability to connect with others can make a meaningful difference now, while giving them experiences they can carry into whatever career comes next. 

If you'd like to learn more about Flying Kites, visit www.flyingkites.org.nz. If you're looking for work or have a job you'd like to list, visit www.sjs.co.nz.