The report, Being disabled in Britain – A journey less equal, shows that disabled people in Britain are more likely to be in food poverty than any other group and highlighted the barriers face by people with a disability in all areas of life, including
employment
Employment means having a job.
, housing and
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.
.
Jan Tregelles, Chief Executive of Mencap said:
“Rather than move forwards in the past 20 years this report shows how inadequate action and a constant stream of cuts
Cuts are when there is less money to pay for things like clubs and support. have condemned disabled people to a life of poverty and inequality.
“With the employment rate for people with a learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. currently standing at less than 6% and with cuts to Employment Support Allowance coming into effect this week, it’s not hard to see why so many disabled people are struggling to find money for things as basic as food. People with a learning disability also face inadequate housing, poor access to health care and a society that misunderstands them.
“This report underlines how cuts impact every aspect of the lives of people with a learning disability. 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 Tax is the money that people pay to the council. 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 ( 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. must take immediate action on the findings in this report and ensure their policy allows disabled people to be free from such a high risk of poverty and fully included in society.”
Mencap has listed 3 key steps of action which it urges the Government to take immediately:
- Tackle the appallingly low levels of learning disability employment, -which currently stands at just 5.8%- by improving support.
- Reverse damaging cuts and changes to key disability benefits including Employment Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payments.
- Address proposed changes to supported housing which could risk a housing crisis for people with a learning disability.