Written evidence from Name Withheld (DEG0093)

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 in 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 in work? Or what would you change about existing support on offer?

I was made redundant earlier this year due to company restructure, but when employed I found the following obstacles:

Company good at filling out paperwork acknowledging changes to be made but slow on implementing them due to cost to the company Being overlooked in terms of promotion (due to age and condition) Colleagues attitude towards any changes (disability awareness training phased out)

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

Better access to buildings

Disability awareness training to be consistent (not just when new laws come out) Ensure any reasonable adjustments are carried out asap Give disabled staff a fair chance at promotion (not to assume they should be grateful just to be employed)

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