Disabled people need more help finding work

Saturday, 27 November 2004 12:01 AM

Dave Prentis, the general secretary of Unison, has called for more resources to help disabled people get into employment.

Speaking at the opening of the union's conference for disabled workers in Glasgow on Saturday, he called on the Chancellor to give a strong sign of his commitment to disabled workers in Tuesday's Pre-Budget Statement (PBS).

The Government stresses that it is committed to helping disabled people, and yesterday Alan Johnson, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, published the Disability Discrimination Bill in the Lords. This will extend the Disability Discrimination Act and place a positive duty on public bodies to promote equality, extend accessibility requirements to transport and set a date by which all rail vehicles must comply with the accessibility regulations.

Though Unison welcomes the Bill, it is calling for more resources to tackle specifically employment-related barriers.

Mr Prentis will tell delegates: "We need to stamp down hard on any notion that disabled people are scroungers that don't want to work but prefer to live on benefits. We know that disabled people want to work in mainstream jobs, compete for promotion, take part in employers' training programmes and be economically independent. So what's stopping them?

"Finding vacancies and competing for work is a costly business for disabled people and is riddled with problems. Finding information in accessible formats such as Braille, large print, British sign language videos etc. is hard enough. Affordable, accessible transport is a rare commodity and where is does exist, disabled people face an incomprehensible maze of bureaucracy to get the concessionary fares they are entitled to. Finding accessible housing and childcare and employers' attitudes, all work against disabled people finding well-paid, decent jobs."

He called for greater investment in access to work schemes, greater choice in housing and a push for more accessible transport and inclusive education.

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