Mark Capper, Head of Development in the Lifestyles & Work team at the learning disability charity Mencap, said:
“This falling employment rate is really worrying – and with talk of rising unemployment across the board – we are concerned if people with a learning disability who are in employment will be supported to keep their jobs. Employers say that people with a learning disability make fantastic employees.
“However, this figure relates only to people with a learning disability who are known to their Local Authority. Our research Research is a way of finding out information which could come from books, or asking people what they think. suggests that employment rates are higher, but still much, much lower than the general population or other disabled people. As part of its forthcoming disability 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. , we would like the Government The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much tax people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work. to improve its data collection so we have a clearer picture and can target support to get more people into work.”
The NHS Digital Data is available here.
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For further information or to arrange an
interview
An interview is a meeting where you talk to someone or a group of people about something. When you have an interview for a job, you have to answer questions and say why you would be good at the job. The person who gives the best answers is offered the job.
with a Mencap
spokesperson
A spokesperson is someone who speaks up about something. They usually speak up on behalf of a group or organisation.
or
case study
A case study is a piece of writing that tells people more information about someone's experience.
, please contact Mencap’s media team on: [email protected] or 020 7696 5414 (including out of hours).
Notes to editors
About Mencap
There are approximately 1.5 million people with a learning disability in the UK. Mencap works to support people with a learning disability, their families and carers by fighting to change laws, improve services and access to
education
Education is when you learn things. When you fill in a form to get a job, education means you write where you went to school, college or university.
, employment and
leisure
Leisure is when you have time to do things you enjoy like playing sports or going to the pub.
facilities. Mencap supports thousands of people with a learning disability to live their lives the way they want.
Visit www.mencap.org.uk.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap’s Freephone Learning Disability Helpline on 0808 808 1111 (10am-3pm, Monday-Friday) or email [email protected].
What is a learning disability?
- A learning disability is a reduced intellectual ability which can cause problems with everyday tasks – for example shopping and cooking, or travelling to new places – which affects someone for their whole life;
- Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty, such as
dyslexia
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty. People who have dyslexia can find it hard to read, write and spell.
. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’; - People with a learning disability can take longer to learn new things and may need support to develop new skills, understand difficult information and engage with other people. The level of support someone needs is different with every individual. For example, someone with a severe learning disability might need much more support with daily tasks than someone with a mild learning disability.