Written evidence from Name Withheld (DEG0158)

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?

Having no access to travel support to engage in the kind of activities that would lead to work in my field has resulted in my becoming permanently unemployed.  I'm not eligible for an electric wheelchair as I can just about get about with a manual wheelchair inside my home but am unable to propel myself in this without things to grab hold of to propel the chair.  I'm unable to walk more than a few metres with walking aids.  In my area, access to health care and treatment options are scarce in reality although they're defined by Niace and on paper to be available. I've had no option but independently research, establish and campaign for the treatments and support so 'being disabled' by MS is a full time occupation in itself - had this been offered as and when it was required (as stipulated by information on NIACE's website), I'd have more time and energy available to seek work..

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

Until Multiple Sclerosis made working challenging (but NOT unachievable), I'd been in paid employment consistently for nearly 3.5 decades (including all but 1.5 years' study periods).  The NI that I'd paid meant that I was entitled to contributions based ESA but sadly, the DWP were unable to process my application for benefits for a year (Universal Credit and ESA application processes repeatedly directed me to each other's helplines to initiate the claim then the assessment processes took months).  My mental and physical health worsened as a direct result but, still keen to use my professional skills, I was supported by a charity to gain voluntary work experience but the cost and time involved in supporting my access needs were prohibitive to them giving me sufficient paid employment.  If Government were to dedicate sufficient resources to providing support and treatment for my condition they would have plenty of evidence regarding what income support I was entitled to - why have I spent more time with health professionals assessing my condition in regards to eligibility for benefits than has been spent with health professionals enabling me to be fit for work? 

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