Written evidence submitted by Sense (ESD0098)
Sense is a national disability charity supporting disabled people with complex needs, including deafblind people.
There are 1.6 million disabled people with complex needs in the UK, and they tend to have two or more conditions. Their needs may be from birth, or following illness or injury, or they may develop with age. It often means they may experience unique barriers and need significant support in their daily lives to communicate, develop new skills and live more independently.
We offer disabled people with complex needs a range of support services including specialist social care, specialist colleges and support to help disabled people find work.
The Department for Work and Pensions should:
The Department for Education should:
Sense analysis of Government data shows that 82% of disabled people with complex needs do not have a job, compared with 23% of non-disabled people.[1]
The barriers faced by disabled people with complex needs mean that employment will not be an appropriate outcome for everyone. Sense polling has found that 31% of disabled people with complex needs on out-of-work benefits did not think they could enter employment even with support from employers and the Jobcentre. [2] It is therefore vital that the benefits system enables disabled people who cannot work to live with dignity, rather than forcing them into work at the expense of their health.
While many disabled people with complex needs can work, this may only be possible with the right support. In Sense’s polling, 37% of disabled people with complex needs on out-of-work benefits said they would require a significant amount of support from employers to be able to enter work, which means that it often takes them longer to find a job. [3] The extent of these barriers is reflected in Department for Work and Pensions figures, which show that disabled people move from unemployment into work at nearly one third of the rate of non-disabled people. [4]
The barriers to employment for disabled people with complex needs start in our education system, with disabled people being nearly three times as likely as non-disabled people to lack qualifications.[5] Research by the University of Sheffield on behalf of the Nuffield Foundation found that 12% of the Disability Employment Gap is the result of lower educational achievement among disabled people.[6]
Sense polling shows that two in five disabled people with complex needs receiving benefits said employer attitudes make it difficult for them to enter and remain in work.[7] They can also make it harder for those who find a job to progress in the workplace.
Employers’ negative attitudes often manifest in outright hostility, with 44% of disabled employees with complex needs had been bullied or harassed at work, according to Sense research. [8]
But discrimination can also come in the form of employers failing to give disabled people the support they need. Fewer than two thirds (64%) of disabled employees with complex needs said their employer had been willing to make reasonable adjustments - despite this being a legal requirement under the Equality Act. [9]
Discrimination and a lack of support partly explain why, on average, between 2014 and 2023, disabled workers moved out of work at a higher rate (8.6%) than non-disabled workers (4.9%).[10]
Many disabled people who could work are forced out of the workforce. Over half (51%) of disabled people with complex needs on out-of-work benefits had to leave their last job because their needs were not being met, or because of the impact of their condition or impairment. [11] Any plan to increase disability employment must therefore both address discrimination and enable disabled people to access the right support at work.
Disabled people’s ability to work often depends on the availability of jobs that are appropriate for them. 40% of disabled people with complex needs on benefits said it was hard to look for work as there were few jobs that met their needs as a disabled person – a figure that rises to 57% among those aged between 18 and 34.[12] This highlights a major flaw in the Government’s decision to cut the Health Element of Universal Credit to encourage people into work; disabled people cannot take up opportunities that do not exist.
Because of these barriers, disabled people with complex needs often lack experience in the workplace. Sense polling found that 35% of disabled jobseekers with complex needs on benefits have never had paid work, making it even harder for them to gain the skills they need to successfully apply for a job.[13] This has particularly significant impact on young people, with 45% of disabled jobseekers with complex needs between the ages of 18 and 34 saying they have never had a paid job. The barriers young disabled people face while trying to get their first job can have a lifelong impact, as the longer they go without experience, the harder it becomes for them to enter work.
As the barriers to employment faced by disabled people are individual, person-centred support is key to helping them enter and stay in work.
Supported employment is an effective way of helping disabled people into work, but these programmes often focus on specific conditions, such as autism, mental health or learning disabilities. While condition-specific programmes are important, many disabled people with complex needs do not fit neatly into a single category, leaving them unable to access the right support. As disabled people with complex needs tend to have two or more conditions, they are particularly likely to face high barriers to employment due to the cumulative impacts of their multiple conditions. Making supported employment programmes condition-specific therefore risks excluding people who need the most support.
It is also important that programmes are accessible and inclusive for disabled people with complex needs. Disabled people with complex needs, such as deafblind people, often face high barriers to communication that make it more difficult for them to find and stay in work. Yet the very schemes intended to help them overcome such barriers are often themselves inaccessible, meaning disabled people with complex needs cannot access them.
The Department for Work and Pensions should invest in supported employment programmes that are not condition-specific but instead are tailored to the needs of the individual. These programmes should be accessible, with a particular focus on disabled people with complex needs, who tend to face the greatest barriers to work.
Jobcentres should be places where disabled jobseekers can access the support and equipment they need to overcome the barriers to work they face. Yet many people turn to our services because jobcentres have failed to meet their needs as disabled people. Our research shows this is a common problem, with over a third (37%) of disabled people with complex needs receiving benefits saying they do not get enough specialist support from jobcentres to help them look for work. The figure rises to over half (51%) among those aged 18 and 34.[14]
Disability Employment Advisers are not always able to provide the right assistance to disabled people, with almost half (46%) of jobseekers with complex needs saying they did not feel supported by them.[15]
This is unsurprising, given what our research has found about the training Disability Employment Advisers receive. In 2022, we identified clear gaps in the training guide such as the fact it did seem to cover assistive technology, which many disabled people rely on to do their jobs effectively[16]
As the Department for Work and Pensions begins the process of developing the new Jobs and Career Service, it should work with disabled people to make sure that Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers understand the barriers to employment faced by disabled jobseekers and employees. This should include disabled people with complex needs, who tend to have the greatest barriers to employment.
Access to Work can be transformative when it is effective, enabling disabled people with complex needs to enter and stay in employment when they otherwise would not be able to. In practice, however, the system does not work as well as it should.
Too few employers and disabled people with complex needs know about Access to Work. Sense research found in 2023 that half of disabled jobseekers with complex needs were not aware of the scheme.[17] Despite the Minister for Social Security and Disability’s claim that increasing awareness of the scheme has put the system under too much pressure,[18] our employment service reports that many employees and employers still do not know about it.
As a result, some disabled people with complex needs are missing out on support that could either help them do their jobs more effectively or enable them to enter employment in the first place.
The Department for Work and Pensions should promote Access to Work more extensively to employers, employees and jobseekers.
Our specialist employment service reports that the application and claims management process for Access to Work is long, time-consuming and bureaucratic, with emails going unanswered and claimants left on hold for hours.
Appointments are often rushed, sometimes leading to poor decisions. In one case, an applicant was given an appointment lasting only 20 minutes, during which they needed to cover their full history, support needs, and recommendations. This led to an unfair outcome based on inaccurate information.
With Sense’s research finding that 36% of disabled people with complex needs in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity group have never had a paid job, [19] extending Access to Work to voluntary roles could help more people to gain the experience they need to enter work.
The Department for Work and Pensions should make Access to Work available for voluntary roles.
As the Pathways to Work Green Paper placed a particular emphasis on reducing the number of young disabled people who are not in education, employment or training, the Government’s employment support should be particularly targeted at supporting young disabled people.
Young disabled people with complex needs tend to face particularly high barriers to employment, particularly as they often do not receive enough support during the transition to adulthood. Our specialist employment service often finds that support ends after formal education, meaning they regularly come across disabled people who have still not been able to gain any experience a decade after the end of formal education. This failure to provide young disabled people with the right support to gain experience early in adulthood can have a lifelong impact, as the longer they go without experience, the harder it becomes for them to enter work.
The Department for Work and Pensions should invest in employment support for young disabled people, with a particular focus on those transitioning out of education.
Rather than replicating existing support that fails to meet needs of disabled people with complex needs, the 1,000 Pathway to Work advisors should focus on providing specialist assistance to two cohorts who tend to face the greatest barriers to work – young disabled people, and disabled people with complex needs.
As highlighted above, young disabled people tend to face particularly high barriers to employment. With the Government seeking to reduce the number of young people not in education, training or employment, it is vital that they can provide young disabled people with specialist support to address the barriers to work they face.
Our polling shows that young disabled people are more likely to want additional support to look for work. 60% of disabled people with complex needs on benefits between the ages of 18 and 34 would like more specialist careers advice and support to help them understand their options, compared with 41% of people of all ages.[20]
Throughout this consultation, we have argued that our current system of employment support fails to address the barriers to work faced by disabled people with complex needs. As the Government looks to reduce the number of people in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) group, it should provide specialist support specifically focused on disabled people with complex needs.
Despite the complexity of the barriers to employment they face, disabled people with complex needs in the LCWRA group often struggle to access specialist support. More than two in five (43%) disabled people with complex needs in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) group say they do not get enough specialist support from Jobcentres to help them look for work. [21] Half (50%) say they would like more careers advice and support to help them better understand their options. [22] The introduction of Pathway to Work Advisors who specialise in supporting disabled people with complex needs could help to address this.
The Department for Work and Pensions should introduce Pathway to Work Advisors focused on supporting both young disabled people, and disabled people with complex needs.
When they work well, public services can help people to overcome the barriers to work they face. This is particularly true of adult social care and SEND support, both of which are currently failing too many disabled people.
Working age disabled adults make up a third of people using adult social care in England, [23] some of whom rely on it to enter and stay in work. But the crisis in social care means that many miss out on this vital support.
With the Government seeking to reduce the number of people in the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) group, our research suggests that tackling the crisis in adult social care should be a key priority. Our polling found that two in five (40%) disabled people with complex needs in the LCWRA group said they could not access all the social care support they need to work. [24]
Addressing barriers to social care could also help prevent disabled people from leaving the workforce, with over a third (37%) of disabled employees receiving benefits saying they could not access all the social care they need to stay in work. [25]
The Government’s decision to delay major adult social care reform until the outcome of the Casey Review could therefore make it harder for the Department for Work and Pensions to close the disability employment gap.
The Department for Work and Pensions should work with the Department of Health and Social Care to make sure that disabled people can access social care that meets their needs as jobseekers or employees.
The Pathways to Work Green Paper placed significant emphasis on reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training. We agree that there are not enough opportunities for young disabled people. Sense’s polling has found that 55% of disabled people with complex needs on benefits between the ages of 18 and 34 would like to take part in training, but cannot find courses that meet their needs. [26] We therefore support steps to make sure that more young disabled people can access training.
We oppose, however, the Government’s proposal to remove the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element of Universal Credit from people under the age of 22, which would cut benefits for young disabled people and their families by £100 a week.
While the Government argues that this would allow ‘the savings generated [to] be reinvested into work support and training’,[27] it would be more effective for the Government to tackle the inequalities disabled pupils face through a well-funded plan for SEND reform. The impact of this could be substantial, with the University of Sheffield estimating that ‘achieving parity of education would reduce the Disability Employment Gap by 5.1pp (18%) for 25-34 year olds’. [28]
October 2025
[1] https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/research/complex-needs-cost-of-living-sense-natcen-research-briefing/#financial
[2] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[3] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024#main-points
[5] https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/project/unpacking-the-disability-employment-gap
[6] https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/project/unpacking-the-disability-employment-gap
[7] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[8] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[9] https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/research/employment-support-for-people-with-complex-disabilities/full-research-report/#key-findings
[10] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024/the-employment-of-disabled-people-2024#main-points
[11] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[12] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[13] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[14] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[15] Research on the employment support available to people with complex disabilities, Sense (2023), https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/for-professionals/policy-public-affairs-and-research/employment-support-for-people-with-complex-disabilities/full-research-report/#key-findings
[16] https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-09-06/48251
[17] https://www.sense.org.uk/information-and-advice/for-professionals/policy-public-affairs-and-research/employment-support-for-people-with-complex-disabilities/full-research-report/#key-findings
[18] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0ltkvh7
[19] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[20] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[21] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[22] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[23] Potential and Possibility (2023), Sense, https://www.sense.org.uk/about-us/research/potential-and-possibility-research/potential-and-possibility-2023/social-care/
[24] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[25] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[26] Sense polling of 1000 disabled people with complex needs in receipt of benefits conducted by Censuswide between 7 May and 16 May 2025.
[27] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/pathways-to-work-reforming-benefits-and-support-to-get-britain-working-green-paper
[28] https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/project/unpacking-the-disability-employment-gap