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Taking care of the world around you

We can help you adjust your home, workplace and leisure environments so that you feel comfortable and in control of the world around you.

The world around you

Having balance in the world around you is vital. Our environment plays a big part in our lives – from the global environment to our personal surroundings. When we’re surrounded by things that make us feel comfortable, we feel happier. But sometimes the world around you doesn’t feel comfortable and we feel out of control.

How we can help you

We can help you adjust your home, workplace and leisure environments so that they work as well as they can for you and those you care for most. Your home should be your safe haven – your place to relax but if life changes you may need to change your home too. Sometimes it is a struggle to balance work and home commitments, get to enjoy your hobbies or pursue volunteering opportunities either because of constraints in your environment such as stairs or because of the attitudes of people around us. We don’t always feel like we have control. At Foothold we want to help you take control and help you feel more positive about the world around you.

Eligibility

If you or your partner is an engineer with less that £50,000 in savings, and has care or disability needs, we may be able to help make your home more accessible (you do not need to be an IET member).

In addition, if you or your partner has ever been an IET member, there may be other support that we can offer.

Get in touch with us to talk about how, together, we can help me the world around you a more comfortable place to be in.

Ways we can help you...

Disability and care grants

  • Equipment and mobility aids
  • House adaptations
  • Respite break
Visit disability and care grants

Work life

  • Were you made redundant and finding it hard to find another job?
  • Have you been out of work for a while?
  • Want to get back into work after a career break?
Visit work life

Support for people living with autism

  • Advice on diagnosis
  • Finding support in your local area
  • Navigating the education system
Visit autism support

Your stories

“The way I see it is, taking half an hour out of my day to connect with someone who’s struggling costs me nothing, but it makes a world of difference to them.” View story
Thanks to Foothold’s incredible support I’m now living a relatively normal life again. I’m so grateful for everything they’ve done for me. I remember thinking early on in my career: ‘why should I donate to the IET benevolent fund?’. It turns out I had to find out the hard way. View story
I knew about Foothold from being a member and although it was hard to reach out and say we’re in trouble, I knew I had to do it. The alternative was a downwards spiral of debt. View story
A graphic featuring a photo of blog author Andy Thornton along with his name and title (cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist)

The power of conversation

Andy shares why a simple conversation can be so powerful – and how really listening is so important

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Michael Hargreaves, author of How Foothold’s new Engineering Neurodiverse Futures programme can support you to achieve your career goals

How our neurodiversity support is helping neurodiverse engineers to live well and thrive

Our Communications Officer Michael explores how our neurodiversity support is making a difference to the wellbeing of neurodiverse community members.

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A graphic featuring a photo of blog author Andy Thornton along with his name and title (cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist)

Understanding empathy: how to be kinder to others

In Part 2 his 2-part blog series on empathy, cognitive behavioural hypnotherapist Andy Thornton explores how you can be kinder to others.

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