Below is an article about the BAFF member who led the successful campaign for removal of social housing discrimination against service leavers and their families.

A disabled ex-military man from Clifton in Bedfordshire is finding his new job as a team leader with NHS Direct is just what the doctor ordered, after receiving support and encouragement from Remploy.

After 23 years as an infantry soldier on active duty in trouble spots around the world, including Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland, 41-year-old Nick Cowan’s army career came to an abrupt end while on an exercise. He injured his lower spine and had to undergo spinal fusion surgery which left him disabled and in pain. After six months of rehabilitation, he was medically discharged from the army in March 2007. Nick found out about Remploy, the UK’s leading provider of employment services for disabled people, through a workshop run by the Career Transition Partnership, which assists ex-service people with the move back into civilian life. After several one to one sessions, Remploy employment advisor Sharon Knott identified a vacancy and encouraged him to apply for the job at Bedford’s NHS Direct call centre. “Nick was very proactive in looking for a job and was committed to getting the team leader role,” said Sharon. “He was up against four or five internal candidates but was successful and was called back for a second interview where he had to give a presentation.”

Nick’s drive and determination didn’t stop with finding a job. For the past three years, he has campaigned tirelessly for a change to the homelessness legislation relating to service leavers and their families. With the support of the British Legion and the British Armed Forces Federation, he has taken the campaign as far as Downing Street, rallying the support of many MPs along the way, and the law is expected to be amended this year.

• source: Remploy. Remploy is one of the UK's leading providers of employment services and employment to people with disabilities and complex barriers to work.