Stephen joined the Inclusion Works program with Cedar in January 2025, following a Autism diagnosis in his early 40's. He wanted support with identifying employability goals and to stay motivated and focused while working towards them. He intially started a short online 'Skill up' course at Northern Regional College (NRC) and based on his positive experience he decided that he would like to work towards gaining a higher level qualification.

Stephen registered for an Access Diploma in Social Sciences at NRC in Coleraine in September 2025, and is close to completing the first year in a 2 year course. Stephen also joined Cedar's User Forum in September 2025 and is an active member attending monthly meetings. Stephen is focused on completing his Access Diploma at NRC presently and will consider his options further when he completes the course. Stephen would like to continue in his role as a valued member of Cedar's User Forum with a collective focus on making a positive difference to the lives of people with disabilities.

Stephen said:

"It has been a massive help for me to have the support of (Case Officer) Sean to engage with the college- from initially meeting with the careers guidance officer and onwards to registering for the course. I wouldn't have done this on my own, without this support. I feel like have a mentor to help me stay focused and motivated to stay on track with college and with my other goals."

Case Officer Sean added:

 "Stephen has noticeably grown in confidence and has made significant progress in working towards his goals since he joined the Inclusion Works program at Cedar. Stephen deserves a lot of praise for his positive attitude and dedication as he continues to improve his life skills. He has demonstrated that he has excellent abilities in many different areas and I look forward to continuing to support him to reach his full potential."

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