EmployAble

As one looks back on 2024, it is a filled with heart-warming examples of exceptional people with disabilities who have achieved greatness, including, to name but a few, actors like Phoebe Rae-Taylor who starred in ‘Out of my Mind’ and Adam Pearson in a ‘Different Man’; athletes like Poppy Maskill who won 5 of GB’s 49 gold medals at the Paralympics in Paris and, in the entertainment world, Rose Ayling-Ellis, the first deaf presenter to host live sports coverage. Whilst we have to celebrate this progress and especially these exceptional individuals, we need to be reminded that so many of the 16 million disabled people in the UK are still being left behind. Government sources report that 50% of disabled, 75% of blind and partially sighted and 95% of learning disabled people of working age are without employment. That's somewhere between two and five times the national average. That is unacceptable for one of the most developed and progressive countries in the world. To address this inequality, Chris McCausland, the first blind person to win Strictly Come Dancing, was chosen to deliver Channel 4’s alternative Christmas message. In his message, Chris called out the problems the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) ‘Access to Work’ service is creating by being under resourced. Chris cited that severe delays in processing applications “strips away our confidence, our dignity, and our purpose in the workplace and … also risk an employer’s desire to recruit anybody else in the future who may require adjustments”. This is a massive problem. At EmployAble we meet too many people with complex learning disabilities and autism who really want to work but are being denied access to opportunities. The playing field needs levelling and so, as we go into 2025, we call on the Government to reform both the Disability Confident Scheme and Access to Work (and open Access to Work Plus) so they can be used as initially intended, to facilitate change. We challenge business leaders to embrace supported employment and create suitable opportunities, as so many of our forward thinking employer partners we are privileged to work with, are doing (and to sign the The Disability Employment Charter). And we ask each and every one of you reading this to internalise Chris’s message that people with disabilities are “often some of the most resilient, creative and determined people you will ever likely meet… the most valuable people to have on the team”. Let’s build inclusive teams. Let’s change perceptions and expectations and let’s open employment opportunities for all marginalised groups, most especially for those with learning disabilities. Bring on 2025!

What a year is has been. I’m delighted with the headway we’re all collectively making to push through attitudes, stereotypes and barriers to improve things for everyone. Thanks to all who have connected with us and contributed to change. This year Chris will be delivering the alternate Christmas message and I’d encourage you to tune in or catch up and he explores the barriers into employment for disabled people and discusses the solutions that are already in place. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, enjoying some family time or, working through the week, I hope it’s a peaceful and enjoyable one. Love from the Sign Source family.