Plain speaking co-operative ready to launch in the home of Welsh politics

Barod, a new co-operative business aimed at supporting employment and producing accessible information for disabled people, will be launched this Wednesday (20th November). The lunchtime invitation event, which is sponsored by North Wales AM Mark Isherwood, takes place in Ty Hywel and will mark the culmination years of work for the four founder members of the organisation.

Barod translates as ‘ready’ in Welsh.

The new business will work with businesses and organisations to help them make their information and services easier to access, understand and use. The company grew from the People First movement in Wales. People First is a self advocacy movement run by and for people with a learning disability.

Barod was formed to meet a number of key needs: it provides employment for people with a learning disability; it produces accessible information for organisations; and it provides training about learning disability which is delivered by people with learning disabilities. The profits which Barod generates are used to support the People First movement.

Jonathon Richards is a worker / director of the new co-operative. He stated, “Barod is a new company that makes its money by turning jargon into information that everybody understands. We offer organisations of all types help to make their organisations accessible to everyone.

Jonathan is an experienced trainer and public speaker. He has represented All Wales People First on the Welsh Government Learning Disability Advisory and Implementation Group, helping to write and develop Welsh Government Policy.

He continues, “We at Barod understand how difficult it can be for people with learning difficulties to find real paid work. All four directors of the company have faced difficulties getting paid jobs in the past and we want Barod to prove that learning difficulties should not impede access to gainful employment”.

Barod has been supported by the Wales Co-operative Centre with mentoring and support from Swansea based worker co-operative Dynamix Ltd.