LEARNING ABILITIES

Anne McGuire, Minister for Disabled People, on supporting people with learning disabilities.

One of my abiding concerns is society’s continued failure to appreciate the valuable contribution people with learning disabilities can make to the workplace. Although the overall employment rate for disabled people has risen from 38% to 47% in the last decade, fewer than 20% of people with a learning disability or mental health condition are in work. Yet I know that those organisations that have employed people with learning disabilities have been rewarded by their hard work and loyalty.

Stephen, who has Down’s syndrome, is featured in my department’s Employ ability campaign, which is urging employers to challenge their assumptions about disabled people. He has worked at Strykers bowling centre in Wolverhampton for 12 years. He has great people skills and his manager finds him “reliable, trustworthy and honest”. Praise indeed.

Hence, I am pleased that our specialist disability employment services are beginning to make a profound difference to the lives of many thousands of people like Stephen. A third of those now being helped by our Workstep programme have a learning disability. The programme helps disabled people to find work and provides in work support once they have a job.

Jobcentre Plus is also working with local employers to find work for those who are disadvantaged in the work place, as part of Local Employment Partnerships. A pilot project in Newham is identifying areas of good practice in finding jobs for people with learning disabilities. It allows people to use their individual budgets to pay for personal job coaching and work preparation. If successful, it will be used to develop a framework for other areas of the country.

However, more is clearly needed if more people with learning disabilities are to find work. That’s why we recently ran a major consultation with our specialist disability employment services, disabled people, employers, external delivery partners and Jobcentre Plus staff. We were pleased to receive over 400 responses from a wide range of people. These are now being analysed and the findings should be published the later this year.

In addition, we are partners in the cross-government project, Getting a Life, aimed at making sure that the range of services provided for people with learning disabilities are better co-ordinated. We want to make it easier to move from school, to college or training and into employment or other meaningful activities.

People with learning disabilities want the same chance to lead fulfilling lives as everyone else. This would not only be good for them but also for society as a whole.