Meet the Team
Rebecca Henderson
Link Worker
I cover the Drop In sessions, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance form-filling sessions and provide link worker support to disabled people to help them access training, volunteering, leisure and employment opportunities. I have worked for Disability Action in Islington since 2000.
I am an Islington resident and, in addition to working at DAII, am a member the Mobile Repair Management Committee.
Rahel Geffen
Chief Executive
For the next 10 months I will be working with DAII's Management Committee to develop and implement a business plan and fundraising strategy for the next three that will secure DAIIs future sustainability and ensures it continues to meet the needs of local Deaf/disabled people.The role also entails the day to day running of the organisation, managing staff and representing DAII and the needs and views of local disabled people on a variety of consultation and decision-making forums in Islington. I am also a local disabled resident..
Liz Mercer
Head of Services and Consultancy
My work is part of the Training and Consultancy service. I am mainly involved with service development and service improvement. This involves leading on contracts between DAII and public bodies to help them promote disability equality, particularly around implementing their Disability Equality Schemes.
Before joining DAII, I worked for a local Primary Care Trust (PCT) managing a project to improve the accessibility of services to disabled and black and minority ethnic communities. I have also spent many years working for Camden Citizens Advice Bureau service, both as an adviser and as a manager of a home visiting service.
Andy Greene & Isabel Munoz
Project Co-Managers for Independent Living Training and Support
ILTAS is funded by Trust for London from April 2011- April 2013.
Our aim is to:
Provide training for local disabled people around social care packages.
Facilitate peer support networks.
Increase awareness of rights, and create opportunities to raise issues at a local level, particularly around independent living.
We will also run training courses. Training will cover all stages of the process involved in accessing a social care package, from assessment through support planning to engaging in activities/services.
Trainees will be encouraged to form groups to access activities/services/forums etc. These groups will be supported by Peer Support Mentors, trained by the project to develop and sustain the groups. Groups will also be open to the wider disabled community in Islington.
Tesfa Berhane
Finance Officer
I joined DAII in September 2004 as part-time Finance Officer. For the past 20 years I have worked as a freelance accountant, mainly in private firms. Working for an organisation like DAII, which strives to raise awareness of disability issues, has been a meaningful experience for me.
My job at DAII involves taking care of the smooth, day to day running of the Finance section by accounting for all incoming and outgoing monies, project costing and budget monitoring. I also report quarterly management accounts to the Chief Executive as well as preparing various financial reports to Project Managers.
Isabel Ros Lopez
IBASS Manager
My job is to manage the Independent Brokerage and Advocacy Support Service. IBASS provides independent advice and support to local disabled people thinking of taking up Personal Budgets. Before joining DAII, I led a national social inclusion team with United Response developing self-advocacy and user led projects, increasing users influence in governance and providing person centred communication and inclusion training to frontline staff and managers. To find out more about IBASS, give me a ring or drop me a line at isabel@daii.org.
Belinda Shadare
Volunteer Receptionist
I work with DAII 2 half days per week and am responsible for ensuring the smooth running of the reception area. This includes welcoming visitors to DAII, handling the telephone calls and also making sure that we have current information about local services, organisations and events available in our waiting area.
Freelance Staff
DAII also work with a number of freelance workers, trainers and consultants in order to deliver services.
Tess McManus
Freelance
Tess is currently working with DAII as a freelance trainer and consultant.
