{"id":50435,"date":"2024-06-07T11:52:21","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T10:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?page_id=50435"},"modified":"2024-06-10T15:17:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T14:17:16","slug":"potential-and-possibility-2024-access-to-employment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/about-us\/research\/potential-and-possibility-research\/potential-and-possibility-2024-access-to-employment\/","title":{"rendered":"Potential and Possibility 2024: Access to employment\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

People with complex disabilities tell us what needs to change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\t
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Inadequate support means that many disabled people are being prevented from exploring and realising their potential through the world of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One quarter of people with complex disabilities didn\u2019t receive any support to look for and apply for jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Potential and Possibility research 2024 <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Everyone should feel valued in the workplace, be treated with dignity and given the support needed to excel. It\u2019s unlikely that anyone would disagree with this statement, and yet many disabled people are being denied this experience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, it\u2019s true that employment isn\u2019t right for every disabled person. But a job can be important part of someone\u2019s identity and sense of purpose. Two thirds (66%) of people with complex disabilities who had a paid or voluntary role enjoyed it. <\/strong>So why aren\u2019t more people getting an opportunity to explore this path? <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t

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Employment processes that diminish instead of empower<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Looking for work is never easy, but for many people with complex disabilities, finding and staying in work is much harder than it should be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While most non-disabled people would expect recruitment processes to build up their confidence and empower them to embrace opportunities, disabled people risk being deflated and held back. Inaccessible recruitment practices, a lack of support while looking for roles and unsympathetic employers and are just some of the barriers people with complex disabilities face in the labour market.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of support while looking for roles <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

25% of people with complex disabilities who were in work or looking for paid employment didn\u2019t receive any support to look for and apply for jobs. Our research found that unhelpful attitudes <\/strong>and rigid processes exist even in the places that ought to help people overcome barriers to employment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jade, age 35, is eager to find a job. She\u2019s non-verbal and has sight loss, and, like many people with complex disabilities, her job centre experience was a negative one. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWhen I attended Jobcentre, I wasn\u2019t given the opportunity or encouraged to look for work on their computers. If I had been, I\u2019d have needed a joystick that I could grip and magnifying software to enlarge the fonts, which they don\u2019t have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I used Sense\u2019s employment service, I didn\u2019t have a clue that I could work at all. I\u2019d always been told that I won\u2019t get a job because of my disabilities.\u201d <\/p>\nJade<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\t

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One of the key findings from our employment research<\/a> was that not one job centre in the UK offers s<\/a>pecialist assistive technology<\/a> on its computers, making it more difficult for those who rely on this support to look and apply for work onsite.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Over half of people with complex disabilities who didn\u2019t have a paid job would like more support looking for paid employment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Potential and Possibility research 2024<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

Job centres often refer disabled jobseekers to Sense. Our employment services<\/a> support people to develop skills, navigate recruitment and manage accessibility requirements at work. But even in areas where the charity can provide this specialist support, job centres should still be meeting the needs of people with complex disabilities.\u202f <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over half (55%) of people with complex disabilities who didn\u2019t have a paid job would like more support looking for paid employment. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be fixed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our experience and expertise mean Sense is well-placed to identify some things the Government needs to do differently to successfully close the disability employment gap. <\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

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Sense would like to see the Government:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n