But, Grace Lewis asks, can we really keep blaming the government for the UK’s disability unemployment gap?
In the latest development with the government’s controversial welfare to work scheme, leaked memos have revealed that the Department for Work and Pensions is struggling to deliver employment support allowance (ESA).
The key sickness benefit introduced in 2008 to replace incapacity benefit is in fact helping fewer people get jobs than its predecessor system, and with more than 700,000 people still waiting for work capability assessments, it’ll be a long time yet before they are encouraged off welfare and into work.
For all its accused failings, another of the government’s schemes, Access to Work, is reportedly helping around 35,000 disabled people get or keep employment each year, and Work Choice, the system providing employment support to disabled job seekers helped 10,120 people to find jobs over a period of two months this year.
Its most recent offering, Disability Confident, aims to help companies become more willing to employ disabled staff, by providing advice and breaking down unhelpful work-related myths.
If you combine the myriad of campaigns and a mountain of research suggesting people with disabilities have higher performance ratings, greater retention rates and better attendance, then you have to wonder why it’s still twice as hard to find employment if you are disabled.
Maybe the finger of blame should be pointed closer to home.
A staggering 67 per cent of the British public admitted they feel uncomfortable talking to disabled people, in a report from the charity Scope, which is undoubtedly affecting the way people with impairments are seen and treated in the workplace.
And what’s even more worrying is the fact that one-fifth of ‘millennials’ –18-34 year olds – have actually avoided talking to a disabled person because they weren’t sure how to communicate with them.
The message is getting lost somewhere along the way and thousands of eager and able jobseekers are facing the brunt of the consequences.
Scope suggests that a fear of seeming patronising or saying the wrong thing is why most people feel awkward, and so is taking its own approach to help break down the barriers.
Providing tips and resources on how to address “awkward” situations, and through a series of adverts with disabled comedians like Alex Brooker, Jack Carroll and Francesca Martinez, Scope is hoping to appeal to the younger generation and encourage people to feel more comfortable interacting with disabled people.
The adverts are certainly effective and I think humour is a great way to tackle some of the stereotypes that we have built up over the years. But do they go far enough to tackle the disability employment gap?
It’s going to take a complete shift in perception to break down those biases, and some serious joined-up thinking from employers, the government and charities if we really want to plug that gap.
We’ve taken on race and sex discrimination before now – perhaps its time for disability discrimination to get some more time in the spotlight.
Find out why ‘Employers are biased against disabled’ in the July issue of People Management magazine