Whizz Kidz – written evidence (YDP0018)

Written evidence submitted by Whizz Kidz

Call for Evidence on the Transition from Education to Employment for Young Disabled People

1. Whizz Kidz

1.1 Whizz Kidz is the UK’s leading charity for young wheelchair users, having provided over 30 years of support. We empower young wheelchair users by providing them with essential mobility equipment, offering confidence-building activities and experiences, such as wheelchair skills training, activity and employability programmes, and campaigning for a more inclusive society.

1.2 This evidence is informed by the young people and families we work with. It is also built upon by our knowledge and experience as a charity, developed over the decades we have supported young wheelchair users.

1.3 We are submitting the following evidence to this inquiry as we want to ensure consideration is given to young wheelchair users and the specific barriers that they face in transitioning from education to employment settings.

2. Executive Summary

Young wheelchair users face a number of barriers when transitioning from education to employment, including physical accessibility and enter-ability of both workplaces and public transport networks, attitudes of employers, potentially lower education attainment, a lower likelihood of previous work experiences or employability skills, mobility equipment that does not promote independence, inaccessible housing, and a lack of information about their rights as a disabled person in the workplace.

Young wheelchair users have expressed that they face dismissive attitudes towards their career aspirations. Young people have to adjust to having support put in place on their behalf in education, to advocating for themselves and the support they need in employment. They also face severe delays from the Access to Work scheme. These three factors can therefore complicate the transition from education into employment.

Whilst international and national legislation should protect against discrimination at work, the disability pay gap, the disability employment gap, and disparities in career progression between disabled and non-disabled workers suggest that such legislation is not effective in practice.

3. Inquiry Response

3.1 What barriers do young people face when leaving education and entering the job market and workplace? Does this differ between different condition or disabilities, and if so, how?

3.1.1 Enter-ability and Accessibility: The built environment and the enter-ability of buildings can be a major barrier to young wheelchair users, limiting their choice of work options from the outset. This includes not only the workplace itself but the surrounding area, local transport, and infrastructure, all of which will form a part of their commute and therefore must be accessible. Moreover, some young wheelchair users have expressed that certain careers, such as medicine, law, becoming a chef, and teaching, feel as though they are not accessible to wheelchair users at all.

3.1.2 Public Transport Links: Public transport links pose a barrier to young wheelchair users, not just in their physical accessibility but their usability. Currently, young people are only able to use their disabled bus passes before 9:30am at the discretion of the local authority, creating an unnecessary financial barrier to accessing employment opportunities. Train travel can also pose difficulties. Whilst initiative such as Turn Up and Go is a great step forward, if local and surrounding train stations are inaccessible and unmanned then it is not an option for young wheelchair users. Recent proposals of ticket office closures at train stations will mean more unmanned stations than ever, rendering stations and their services inaccessible to young wheelchair users.

3.1.3 Attitudes of employers: In a small-scale survey conducted by Kidz Board, 48% of young wheelchair users surveyed worried about employers’ attitudes and 61% worried about people making assumptions about their abilities in the workplace. Together, these were the top two worries young people said they have about entering the world of work. The potential for bias and ableist assumptions of employers, whether consciously or unconsciously made, can prevent young wheelchair users from accessing the workplace and reduce the number of opportunities available to them.

3.1.4 Education and Qualifications: One-quarter (24.9%) of disabled people aged 21 to 64 years in the UK had a degree as their highest qualification compared with 42.7% of non-disabled people; 13.3% of disabled people had no qualifications compared with 4.6% of non-disabled people (year ending June 2021)[1]. Low expectations wrongly imposed upon young wheelchair users, missing school for health reasons, a lack of school provided preparation for the workplace, and availability of additional support can all coalesce to result in lower educational attainment through no fault of the young person, setting them behind their non-disabled peers.

3.1.5 Previous Experience and Skills: Young wheelchair users have told us they have had limited, if any, work related education in school; 1 in 5 have never had a work placement, volunteering placement, talk from an employer, visit to a workplace, or an employability session. Young people are provided only limited options; ‘their school only offered him experiences in cooking and art’. They face negative and limiting attitudes from staff and have been told ‘you can’t do that because you are in a wheelchair, and it will be too difficult to sort out’. Entry level work is also largely inaccessible, with one young person telling us ‘Typical entry level or Saturday jobs for most sixth formers aren't suitable for wheelchair users e.g. waiters, stacking shelves on shop floors. If there is anything specific for disabled people, which I haven't seen, the jobs are basic and not well paid if at all’. A lack of previous experience and workplace skills once again can leave young wheelchair users falling behind their non-disabled counterparts, making the transition from education to employment more difficult.

3.1.6 Understanding your Rights: Another barrier young people may face when entering employment is knowing their rights within the workplace. Knowing about and accessing relevant support is difficult for young wheelchair users as support is usually focused on person centred delivery. Therefore, young wheelchair users are reliant on clear and informative guidance from education staff, careers advisors and work coaches about accessing relevant support, such as the Access to Work Scheme, the Equality Act or Reasonable Adjustments.

3.2 How far do barriers to young disabled people accessing other public services, such as health and care services, present a barrier to young disabled people accessing the workplace?

3.2.1 Accessing Health Services: Due to strict and inflexible eligibility criteria, many young people receive mobility equipment from the NHS which does not allow them to exercise their independence and autonomy. One young person told us ‘I have a large NHS power chair, but it is only to be used indoors. Now that I attend 6th form, I cannot go to the shops with my friends during break times as I can’t take it outside’. A lack of independence can have negative ramifications for the health and the social outcomes of young wheelchair users, including their ability to access work and employment opportunities.

3.2.2 Accessing Social Housing Services: The Equality and Human Rights Commission found there to be a chronic shortage of accessible homes with only 7% of homes in England offering minimal accessibility features[2]. Unsuitable and inaccessible housing can have major impacts on disabled people, such as social isolation, mobility problems, a lack of independence, poorer mental health, an increased reliance on carers and family member, accidents and avoidable hospital admissions. Disabled people living in inaccessible homes are ‘4 times less likely to be in work’[3]. A lack of wheelchair accessible housing can therefore pose a barrier to young wheelchair users entering the workforce.

3.3 We have not focused this inquiry specifically on the experiences of young people with an Education, Health and Care plan when they leave education and enter employments. What are your thoughts on this approach and are there any particular benefits of drawbacks to it? What other focused approaches could the inquiry take?

3.3.1 Scope of Inquiry: By widening the scope beyond those who had an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP), the inquiry will capture the experiences of young disabled people who may have never had formalised support plans at school such as an EHCP. Additionally, some young people may not have received a formal diagnosis, or even may not have become disabled, until after leaving education.

3.3.2 Alternative Focused Approaches: Although the principles of inclusion and intersectionality should be central to any approach taken, there may be value in considering the impact of specific disabilities and the resultant specific issues faced by people with each disability. There is massive diversity within the disabled community, meaning support needs and barriers vary, and so too will actions needed to address each. For young wheelchair users, specific issues they will face will include access to mobility equipment, enter-ability and accessibility of the physical workplace, and access and usability of public transport networks.

3.4 How effectively do education systems provide career advice, guidance and support which meet the needs and career aspirations of young disabled people? How could this be improved, and what examples of good practice are there in the UK and abroad?

3.4.1 Attitudes of School Staff: Young people have described the attitudes of school staff and career advisors as dismissive and negative when it comes to their aspirations. Young wheelchair users do not always feel listened to and are unable to build on their strengths. One young person told us ‘Sometimes people think we should quit whilst we are ahead’. Young wheelchair users should be encouraged and empowered to work towards their aspirations by school staff and career advisors.

3.5 Do staff in schools and other education settings providing careers guidance and advice have the appropriate training and resources to support the needs and aspirations of young disabled people?

3.5.1 Training: Given that young people report dismissive attitudes from support staff, training may offer a route to improved outcomes. All teachers, support staff and other education professions should receive comprehensive disability awareness training and training on supporting young wheelchair users. If equipped with better knowledge of the challenges that young wheelchair users in face and the specific needs and information they will need with respect to employment, school staff and career advisors will be in a much better position to offer effective and tailored advice to young wheelchair users.

3.5.3 Resources: If teachers, support staff and career advisors have access to improved resources on employment and disability this will benefit the guidance given to young people. A national job search database would be transformative for young wheelchair users searching for employment, smoothing the transition from education to the workplace. Such a database could link disabled job seekers to employers who are recognised as supporting their specific disability. Not only will this support young wheelchair users in finding a role and employment they can be confident will suit them, it will also further incentivise employers to operate inclusively.

3.6 What are young disabled people’s experiences of the transition from education-based support to employment-related support? Do young disabled people face barriers to accessing support during this transition? Could these services be better linked, and if so, how?

3.6.1 Education-based Support: Young people still in education may not always hold an active role in deciding upon the support they are provided. For example, requests for an EHCP assessment can be made by parents, the school, paediatricians, or social workers. A young person can only request an assessment themselves if they are over the age of 16[4]. For young wheelchair users, this can often mean support plans have been applied for and drawn up on their behalf by parents, the local authority, teachers and/or a SENCO, without any major input from the young person directly.

3.6.2 Employment-related Support: Young wheelchair users may need to ask employers for specific adjustments in order to support them as an individual. For young people in particular this could be daunting, as they may not previously been in employment before, or have had support set up by adults on their behalf in the past. Consequently, young disabled people entering employment for the first time may lack experience in advocating for themselves and their needs which may pose a barrier to accessing support during the transition from education to employment support. As standard, children and young people should be included as active participants in creating and implementing their own support plans at school in order to build this key skill.

3.6.3 Mobility Equipment: In addition to employment and education-based support, having the right mobility equipment will smooth the transition. At this stage in their lives, young people may need change of equipment, for example a powered wheelchair in place of a manual or a power add on to their manual wheelchair, to support them in entering the world of work. For young wheelchair users, the right equipment is as essential as reasonable adjustments or accessible workplaces in being able to travel to and effectively undertake work. As such, a review and subsequent change to equipment should be considered an integral step in the move into employment.

3.7 How effective are government programmes which support or encourage employers to employ disabled people, particularly young disabled people? Does this differ by condition or disability? How could they be improved?

3.7.1 Access to Work Scheme: Whilst the Access to Work Scheme can offer support to disabled people in employment, many people report problems with the scheme. In December 2022, there were over 25,000 disabled people awaiting a decision from the scheme[5]. With delays often as long as six months, young wheelchair users could find themselves without support in the workplace for months on end. For young people just starting their careers this will feel extremely demoralising, affecting their ability to do their jobs and successfully kickstart their careers. In some cases, disabled people are reportedly losing out on jobs as offers are withdrawn due to these lengthy delays[6]. Improving the Access to Work Scheme to provide decisions and support in a timely manner, whilst also keeping disabled people up to date with a timeline of when support should be received, will not only help to retain people in employment but develop young wheelchair users' confidence and good experiences in the workplace.

3.8 How effectively are the rights of disabled people upheld and enforced in the workplace? What barriers do young disabled people face in accessing the support (including legal support) that they need and are entitled to? How could enforcement mechanisms be improved?

3.8.1 UNCRPD: On an international scale, the UK is bound by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which it signed and ratified in 2009. Article 27 of the UNCRPD recognises the rights of disabled people in work and employment. Amongst the numerous protections it offers, it prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability (across areas from recruitment to career advancement), protects the right to just and favourable conditions, including equal renumeration for work of equal value, and ensures reasonable accommodation are provided[7].

3.8.2 Equality Act 2010: At the national level, the 2010 Equality Act makes it illegal for employers to discriminate on grounds of disability. It covers areas such as application forms and interview arrangements, job offers, terms of employment (including pay), and promotions. It also enforces the provision of reasonable adjustments which help to removed barriers that non-disabled colleagues do not face. Reasonable adjustments could include changes to working hours, greater flexibility, assistive technology, or physical accessibility adaptations to the work environment.

3.8.3 The Disability Employment Gap: Whilst legal instruments protect disabled people from discrimination in recruitment and hiring practices, the disability employment gap was 29.8 percentage points in July to September 2022[8]. The disability employment gap for young people aged 18 to 24 years in particular stands at 18.7 percentage points[9].

3.8.4 The Disability Pay Gap: The UNCRPD and Equality Act make assurances that disabled people are paid equally. Yet in 2021, the disability pay gap was 13.8%, with disabled employees earning a median of £12.10 per hour and non-disabled employees a median of £14.03 per hour[10].

3.8.5 Career advancement: Disabled people should be safeguarded from discrimination when it comes to career advancements and promotions. However, disabled people were more likely than non-disabled people to be working in lower-skilled jobs[11], and more likely to work in elementary positions (11.2%) than their non-disabled counterparts (8.5%)[12]. When it comes to senior leadership at work, only 8.4% of disabled people worked as managers, directors, and senior officials in contrast to 11.5% of non-disabled people[13].

3.8.6 Enforcement of Disabled Rights at Work: The rights disabled people have at work are protected in theory but much less so are they upheld in practice. In order ensure young people can claim their rights and employers adhere to the legal standards, better awareness should be built of both UNCRPD and the Equality Act amongst both parties. This should improve the disconnect between theory and practice, improving enforcement. This could also be further supported by comprehensive disability awareness training in workplaces. The creation of a standardised training programme, which is publicly accessible and promoted by central government, would ensure high standards across all industries.

4. Summary

Young wheelchair users face a number of barriers, from equipment that does not afford them independence, to negative attitudes and low expectations of teachers, support staff and employers alike, to physical barriers of inaccessible workplaces. These compounding issues mean the transitions from education to employment can be unnecessarily complex for young wheelchair users in comparison to their non-disabled counterparts.