There was a meeting in
Parliament
Parliament is a group of people who make laws and check what
the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
Tax is the money that people pay to the
council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
people should pay and how things like the National Health
Service
A service gives people what they need, like healthcare services that help people when they are ill, and support services that give people support.
(
NHS
The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals.
) should work.
is doing.
earlier this month to discuss improving the work opportunities of people with a learning disability. I spoke about why that is important, and how I have developed in my job.
Last week, Lee Scott MP, the government’s ‘Special Educational Needs Tsar’ (expert), hosted the Learning Disability Confident event at the Houses of Parliament. The aim of the event was to encourage more employers to get people with a learning disability into meaningful jobs.
My employers, Mencap, were
involved
Involved is being included in something or taking part in something.
in organising the event and lots of people from different companies came and took part. They were asked to sign a
pledge
A pledge is when someone promises to do something.
to give more work opportunities to people with a learning disability in future, including paid jobs and
supported internships
A work placement for young people with additional needs, where they get support from a job coach.
.
Find out more about Mencap's Employment services.
Lee Scott talked about some of the government’s plans for employment.
Some of the other speakers were from companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, National Grid and NHS England. They talked about all the positive things that they have found from employing people with a learning disability, or from providing opportunities for people to do
work experience
Work
experience
Experience is when you have learned or tried something before.
is when you try out a job to help you learn new skills.
or supported internships.
The event is important because we know from our
research
Research is a way of finding out information which could come from books, or asking people what they think.
that only 7 percent of people with a learning disability who are known to social services are in paid work. We also know people with a learning disability have the lowest employment rate of all disabled groups.
We want to see this improve in the future. I know about this issue from the work I did on the Disability Employment
Strategy
A strategy is a plan to show what an organisation, or a person, wants to do and how they are going to do it.
with
the Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is sometimes called the DWP. It is part of the government and manages payments and benefits like Universal Credit,
Personal Independence Payment
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is the name of a benefit that some people with a disability or health condition get. The money is to pay for extra help you might need to look after yourself and to get around. Some people who used to get
Disability Living Allowance
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is the name of a benefit that some people with a disability get. The money is to pay for extra help you might need to look after yourself and to get around. Disability Living Allowance is being replaced by a benefit called Personal
Independence
Independence means doing things on your own. Making your own choices.
Payment (PIP).
(DLA) now get PIP instead.
,
Employment and Support Allowance
Employment and Support Allowance is sometimes called ESA. It is a benefit for people who find it harder to get a job because of a disability or a long term health condition.
, and Income Support.
and the Department of Health last year.
I spoke about how important my job at Mencap is, the support I have had to do my job through Access to Work, and my own work achievements. I told the people there about how I am now managing a person with a learning disability who is doing work experience at Mencap, and why I want employers to hire people with a learning disability.
After I spoke, Lee Scott hosted a panel session where employers in the audience could ask questions about employing people with a learning disability. Their questions included how can we get more employers to know about the benefits of employing people with a learning disability, and how the government can help.
The event went well and the employers in the audience were very positive. Lots of employers signed up to the employer pledge. I think this is really good! We’re going to follow up with the employers who signed to help them work with more people who have a learning disability.
After the event I spoke to some of the employers and told them about my work at Mencap and about the positive achievements of people with a learning disability being in jobs. I think it was great that they were able to hear good examples of what good employees people with a learning disability can make.
I hope the Learning Disability Confident event encouraged employers to employ people with a learning disability.
If employers are not seriously considering people with learning disabilities for jobs, then they are not always recruiting the best people. The best person for a particular job may well be someone with a learning disability.