Missing the key issues

Employment and digital exclusion missing in new Disability Action Plan

THE vital need to tackle unemployment and digital exclusion among disabled people have been left out of the Government’s new Disability Action Plan.

No details of how disabled people will find work are mentioned in the Plan, which aims to make the UK the most accessible place in the world.

And while there is mention of improving technology, there is no commitment to help people pay for adapted equipment – nor anything to address the growing numbers of digitally excluded disabled people.

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show that almost 60% of adults not using the internet are disabled.

Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said: “We question the omission of employment. Work – good work – is a key life opportunity which now is out of reach of far too many disabled people. To make work a reality for more disabled people, we need greater investment in vital programmes such as Access to Work, yet this is missing from the Action Plan.” Criticism has also come from other charities. Mel Merritt, head of policy and campaigns at the National Autistic Society, said: “The Plan is a missed opportunity and fails to address the key issues that autistic people face.

“Just 29% of autistic people are in employment, 74% of parents don’t think their child’s school place meets their needs and 85% of people are waiting more than the recommended 13 weeks for an autism assessment.”

Richard Kramer, chief executive at Sense, added: “The plan contains many positive proposals. But the issues that matter the most to disabled people include pressures from the increasing cost of living, challenges with the benefits system and the ongoing social care crisis.”