Breaking down the barriers for disabled workers

Looking for work can be a daunting experience at the best of times – but when you have a disability the process can be even harder.

Although it is illegal to discriminate against any applicant who is disabled, disabled people continue to face more challenges to finding employment than non-disabled people.

“There are a million disabled people in the UK who can and want to work but face unnecessary barriers getting into and staying in work,” explains James Taylor, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at disability charity Scope.

“Our research shows disabled jobseekers have to apply for 60 per cent more jobs than non-disabled candidates before finding work.

“We’ve heard from disabled people who’ve been turned down for hundreds of jobs before even getting an interview.

“One of the major barriers disabled people face finding work is employer attitudes.”

However, the benefits of employing people with disabilities are huge.

By encouraging applicants from people with disabilities, businesses can create a higher quality workforce, bring in additional skills and create a more diverse company.

In fact a report from Scope in 2015 found that even just a 10 percentage point rise in the employment rate amongst disabled adults would contribute an extra £12 billion to the Exchequer by 2030.

James adds: “Employers can make simple changes such as ensuring their application process and work environments are accessible, and making it clear that support and adjustments are available to employees. If they don’t, they could be missing out on a wealth of disabled talent.”

There are many resources available to help disabled people find work.

Scope recommends visiting businessdisabilityforum. org.uk and www.glassdoor. co.uk

James adds: “Disabled people can visit Scope’s online community to get advice on applying for jobs and moving into work from our expert employment advisers.”

“Scope has teamed up with Virgin Media for our Work With Me campaign, providing support to disabled people looking for work, and working with other employers to tackle negative attitudes towards disability.”

For more information and advice on finding work, visit the Scope website at www. scope.org.uk