Written evidence from Name Withheld (DEG0035)

I am responding to your call for evidence through Scope, the disability equality charity. I want to share my experiences of the barriers I've faced getting into work and what can be improved to help disabled people in the future.

I've answered two questions below as part of your call for evidence.

What extra support would you benefit from to get into work?

Although I am very qualified academically, I lack experience and find I cannot get jobs that are looking for an experienced person. I can't get experience without a job and can't get a job without experience. With sight I could try for a work experience position, or volunteer. As I am blind, I will need specialist equipment and/or a support worker to do most jobs, but these are only funded by access to work for permanent employment. Such funding needs to be available for disabled people looking to volunteer or get work experience placements. I have also found that the advisers, from various organizations, who have tried to help me find employment, do not really know what help is out there for me and should possibly be trained on how to advise a blind person.

Looking to the future, what does the Government need to improve on to help disabled people get into, stay and progress in work?

Funding for employers and organizations so that disabled people can get work experience or help by volunteering.

The disability employment gap has been stuck close to 30 percent for over a decade, and the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has seen disabled people falling out of work faster than non-disabled people. 

Scope wants the Government to deliver on its pledge to tackle the disability employment gap. The Government must use the opportunity of the forthcoming National Strategy for Disabled People to set out plans to close the gap.

I hope that the evidence I have provided, alongside research from Scope will prove useful to the committee.

December 2020