Why it's time to close the disability employment gap

  • 📰 MetroUK
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 93 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 40%
  • Publisher: 82%

United Kingdom Headlines News

United Kingdom Latest News,United Kingdom Headlines

‘I was told to live on benefits because that’s what people like me did’.

– something illustrated in a recent Government briefing paper, which found an employment gap of 28.8% between those living with disabilities and those without.

‘I realised I’d better not get a ‘proper job’ because the hours would be too strict for me and there wouldn’t be that level of flexibility,’ she remembers. ‘I now know I won’t ever work for a structured company again and I’ve made peace with that. ‘It was a hectic work environment where I was required to be on my feet all day, which I couldn’t do because my MS causes weakness and pain,’ she explains. ‘I also worked in retail and at that point, chairs at the till were not an option, as in most service jobs it was a stand up and serve position. I wasn’t offered any sort of alternative.

Roxy adds: ‘It’s sad because companies adapted so quickly for able-bodied people during the pandemic –‘I feel like they don’t see disabled people as worthy or worth adapting for. They don’t see us as an asset to the workforce.’ Despite the government’s aim to reduce the disability employment gap, the coronavirus crisis saw it increase by 0.7% during October and December last year, with a quarter of disabled people surveyed by Scope believing that their employer can make the workplace safe enough for their return to work.

‘Access to Work is sometimes described as the best-kept secret in government because there are so many employers that don’t know about it,’ says head of policy and campaigns at Scope UK, Louise Rubin.‘It’s not particularly visible and often the onus falls on the disabled person themselves to explain it, go through those first steps and let employers know that it’s there.’lives with ADHD and autism and has struggled with identifying as disabled.

Following years of struggling to function in the average work environment, particularly due to the stress of not understanding unspoken social rules and cues, Rachel was inspired to use the lessons she had learned about her needs to help others.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 13. in UK

United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Why Cherie Chan and Jessey Lee are quitting Bling EmpireThis is why Cherie Chan and Jessey Lee are quitting Bling Empire
Source: Cosmopolitan UK - 🏆 134. / 51 Read more »

Why do people withhold sex from their partners?It can be a form or abuse, or a strategy used to deliberately avoid intimacy.
Source: Cosmopolitan UK - 🏆 134. / 51 Read more »

Why Have We Learned Nothing From Hollywood's Chequered History With The Fat Suit?After Liz Jones donned one for The Daily Mail, we explore why fat suits are so problematic. Read more on Grazia. 'only becoming lovable to Chandler once she lost weight' aye, we've progressed past fat suits, but to be fair to Friends, Chandler and Monica did still end up together in that alternate reality episode and she wasn't thin. I wonder if Liz Jones next stunt is 'blacking up'
Source: GraziaUK - 🏆 15. / 78 Read more »

Why does hot weather make you feel *so* tired and sleepy?If a sunny day leave you lethargic, you're not alone - and this is why
Source: Cosmopolitan UK - 🏆 134. / 51 Read more »

Why Is The Fashion World Still Obsessed With This Olympian’s Sunglasses?Trinidadian Olympian Ato Boldon weighs in on the Oakley shades that have captured the eyes of vintage dealers and Kerwin Frost Ato 😍
Source: BritishVogue - 🏆 14. / 80 Read more »

SEAL Team season 5: Why is SEAL Team moving to Paramount Plus?SEAL TEAM is set to return for its fifth season on October 10, 2021. But why is the series moving to Paramount Plus? SEAL Team's a good show. On the battlefield, Soldiers {Sailors, Marines, etc.} have to keep their words brief & clippy. When they return to Planet Homeland, they're not as experienced at talking about their feelings as US folks who get to enjoy US's liberties that got defended.
Source: Daily Express - 🏆 26. / 68 Read more »