The Mencap Manifesto: Employment

People doing lots of different types of work with the caption 'Workplace'.

Mencap wants more people with a learning disability to have the chance to work.

A man sits next to a woman at a computer

We also want to employers to understand that many people with a learning disability can do a good job with the right support.

But there is not enough support from the Department for Work and Pensions to help people with a learning disability to move into work.

The Houses of Parliament next to the Job Centre with a woman in a wheelchair talking to a woman in a suit

We want all political parties to work with us to make a new way to support people with a learning disability to find the right job.

An A4 notebook with 'Plan' written on the cover.

This should also include supporting people with a learning disability over the age of 25 and people who will not have an Education , Health and Care Plan.

An Education, Health and Care Plan is a document that sets out the support a young person should get until they are 25 years old.

Some employment support comes from a pot of money called the Shared Prosperity Fund.

A hand giving another hand some money next to a picture of different people doing different types of work

This is money is given to different projects including employment support.

A calendar date of 2025 is behind a hand which is giving another hand some money - all have a red cross over them

But this money is going to end in 2025.

Calendar dates of 2025 to 2029 are behind a hand which is giving another hand some money - all have a green tick next to them

We want all political parties to promise to keep giving money to employment support for many years.

A man reading a page of a newspaper with the title, 'Jobs Available'.

Some benefits people get, force them to spend time looking for work.

A woman works in a kitchen. Two clocks behind her indicate that she is working between the hours of 1:30 and 4:00.

Sometimes this is not the right thing to do for this person because their disability means they cannot work or can only work for a few hours.

A calendar with money and a red cross over it

If someone is meant to be looking for work but the Jobcentre Plus says they are not, they could have their benefits stopped.

This is called benefit sanctions.

A woman has her thumbs down next to a calendar with money on it and a red cross over it

We think that benefit sanctions should not happen to people with a learning disability.

Getting the right amount of benefit money

The Department for Work and Pensions has not done any work since the 1960’s to work out if the money they give in benefits is right.

We think the benefit money people get now is too low.

In front of a picture of lots of different types of benefit leaflets is the Houses of Parliament and a hand putting money into an envelope.

We want all the political parties to promise to look at how much money people get paid in their benefits and work out if this is enough for people to live on.