In her spare time, she volunteers at her local hospital, picks litter off the street and keeps her neighbourhood safe - but for years Chloe Lambert has been unable to land a job because of her disability. The disability campaigner from Wolverhampton lives with a little-known disability which she says is like having ‘dementia’ at the age of 21.
Chloe lives with foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) - a life-long neuro-developmental condition that occurs when a mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy. Alcohol exposure in the womb can cause babies irreversible brain damage and growth problems - the condition has no cure but early intervention treatment services can improve a child’s development.
Chloe received her diagnosis aged seven, but says her disability impacts her memory and her ability to process numbers - leading her to be turned down for ‘more than a hundred jobs.’ Her message to employers this International Day of Disabled Persons is to ‘take a chance’ on disabled job seekers and to ‘focus on what they can do, rather than what they can’t.’
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“I was born with a condition called Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder,” Chloe told BirminghamLive. “It’s basically where your mum drinks before you were born which causes brain damage.
“My disability affects me day-to-day, I find it difficult to travel by myself and understand money. I struggle with household tasks too, simple home appliances confuse me so I need support to use them. It feels like dementia, but I’m only 21-years-old.”
Children and adults with FASD often experience difficulties in dealing with information. According to the National Organisation for FASD, “many find it hard to translate hearing into doing, thinking into saying, reading into speaking or feelings into words.”
Chloe says these impairments have made it impossible for her to get a job - with many employers asking for maths and other qualifications which she does not have. “I’ve found it impossible to get a job due to my disability,” she said.
“A lot of jobs require skills that I don’t have like maths or working with money. I wish employers would think more about what people like me can do, rather than what we can’t.
“Just because I don’t have certain skills, doesn’t mean I can’t do other things. I’m very good with people, I have good social and communication skills. I enjoy IT and working with computers too. I just want an employer to take a chance on me.”
Chloe Lambert has been working hard to raise awareness of FASD - in the past year she’s even been to the Houses of Parliament to talk about the barriers disabled people face seeking employment. In her spare time she volunteers at New Cross Hospital and was recently awarded a Rotary Champions Award for her volunteer work in her local community as a member of the street watch and litter picking teams.
“I went to the Houses of Parliament to talk about FASD because I felt like I wasn’t being listened to,” she said. “It was a proud moment but I knew leaving that building that things were still unlikely to change. I’m volunteering to try and get a bit of experience and meet new people - I hope something good will come out of it.”
There is no proven safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy - and studies have shown that even low level alcohol use still may affect the developing baby. For more information on foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, click here .
