Volunteer Engineers to help people with disabilities

Are you interested in helping to design and make bespoke equipment to assist people in overcoming challenges? This is an opportunity to use practical engineering skills and experience to help local disabled people lead more independent lives.

Remap has over 65 local branches across the UK.  Our skilled volunteers respond to thousands of requests each year to design and make customised equipment free of charge. Many beneficiaries are referred by their Occupational Therapist, whilst other enquiries are made directly.

The Brighton & Sussex group of the charity is looking for additional volunteer engineers to be part of our team who contribute their time and expertise to design and make solutions for our clients. These solutions can be simple adaptations of items of equipment or entire products made from scratch. Our area of activity stretches along the south coast from Littlehampton to Hastings and northwards to Horsham accross to Robertsbridge.

Benefits

• Being part of a team that seeks to contribute to the lives of others in the local community
  
• Using your skills to help people with disabilities achieve greater independence and quality of life
  
• Flexibility in terms of the time you choose to input to the charity.

Practical Considerations

• While volunteer work is unpaid any  expenses for materials and travel  are reimbursed.  
• Own vehicle transport is desirable for travel to visit clients and attend meetings.
• Where volunteers live is taken into account when allocating cases over what is a large geographical area.
  

Support Disabled

Our team includes volunteers who regularly deal with people with disabilities, also our allocations officers who review new cases have specific occupational therapy and heath service experience. We would only allocate cases specific to your knowledge and skills and take account of any mobility or other issues that might affect completion of a solution.

What skills do I need?

Skills, knowledge in an individual discipline or combination, including woodwork, metalwork, electronics, control or 3D printing are needed. Making facilities at home or in a workshop are useful but not essential,  some of our engineers can make solutions made by other volunteers.

We have  men and women in our team across a range of ages and experience. Some volunteers are retired whilst others are in employment; people give what time they can. Case meetings are held every six weeks to review the progress of cases, discuss ideas and issues with colleagues and to consider new cases. Cases are allocated to engineers according to their skillset, available time and their proximity to where the client lives. New volunteers will be inducted into the workings of the group with support from more experienced members.

Meeting with beneficiaries at their place of residence is a requirement and attendance at group meetings is considered highly desirable. The  ability to travel is essential.

Location

This opportunity can be carried out whilst working from home.