The
survey
A survey is when someone asks you to answer some questions.
of over 60 UK employers showed that:
- almost half (46%) of representatives acknowledged that their
organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together.
’s job descriptions, adverts and application forms are not easy for somebody 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.
to read and fill in - 23% of employers feel not all their colleagues would be happy working with somebody with a learning disability
- 79% agreed having disabled employees helps a company understand its disabled customers better
- almost half (45%) of representatives who have not employed somebody with a learning disability were concerned it might be more difficult for members of public to deal with members of staff with a learning disability. This drops to 30% who have employed staff with a learning disability.
There are just 7% of people with a learning disability in paid
employment
Employment means having a job.
, compared to 46% of disabled people. Mencap are concerned that with changes to the benefits system, including a cut of £30 a week to cut ESA WRAG which half of disabled people say would mean they return to work later,
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 (NHS) should work.
will fail to increase employment opportunities for people with a learning disability.
Learning Disability
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.
Week was launched by the charity Mencap and Inclusive Employers two years ago to encourage employers to adopt more inclusive recruitment policies. Employers ranging from McDonald’s, the House of Commons, South West Trains, Enterprise Rent-a-Car and Sainsbury’s have all been
involved
Involved is being included in something or taking part in something.
in the scheme.
Mark Capper, Head of Employment at Mencap, said:
“This survey exposes the nervousness some employers have when it comes to learning disability, but also how these nerves disappear for those that have employed staff with a learning disability.
“The fact that almost 80% felt that having a disabled employee helps a company understand its disabled customers better present a huge commercial benefit to organisations
Organisations are groups like companies and businesses.
“People with a learning disability represent an untapped source of labour constantly overlooked. With the Government’s desire to halve the disability employment gap there needs to be a far greater emphasis on how to remove the many barriers that exist for job seekers with a learning disability, and we hope the employers involved in Learning Disability Work Experience Week can convince others to think differently about who they look to for staff”
Richard McKenna, Director of Inclusive Employers, said:
“At Inclusive Employers, we aim to maximise business potential through inclusion. We understand that organisations who didn’t have much experience of working with people with learning disabilities may not know where to start, that's why 3 years ago we approached Mencap about launching Learning Disability Work Experience. We are thrilled that this initiative is growing every year and that participants from previous years have been offered employment. We are looking forward to many more success stories from 2015!"
Kelly Barlow, HR Director for South West Trains, said:
"We are delighted to continue working with Mencap and supporting Learning Disability Work Experience Week.
"We will continue to offer jobs and placements to a wide range of people, including those who have a learning disability. With the right support and guidance
Guidance means being given clear instructions to be able to do something well. in place throughout the organisation, any person can become a valued member of our team."
Sharon Pike, who has a learning disability and was supported into employment by Mencap said:
“I work 4 days a week at a care home
A care home is a place where people who need support live. There are staff there all the time. for older people in South London. I love my job, it is very rewarding. I got the job with the help of Mencap’s Employment Services. I had been unemployed for a while but I wanted to come off jobseekers and be independent.
“Mencap helped me to get into care work by supporting me to complete an NVQ level 2 qualification in Health and Social Care. Mencap worked with the college to make sure the course was accessible
Accessible means something is easy for people to use or join in with. For example: Accessible writing means the writing is easy to read and understand. and to make sure I had the support I needed for the course. While I was studying for the NVQ I got a placement at the care home.
“The placement went really well and when the Care Home needed more full-time staff I applied and got the job! I’ve now been working there for over 5 years and I love it! I want to take my NVQ Level 3 now and build my career for the future”
Further results of the survey include:
- 79% agreed that having a disabled employee helps a company to understand its disabled customers or clients
- 23% felt their colleagues would not be happy working with somebody with a learning disability
- 30% of respondents who have employed somebody with a learning disability and 45% who have not were concerned it might be more difficult for members of public to deal with members of staff with a learning disability
- Only 16% of respondents felt the government would be successful in halving the disability employment gap
- Almost half (46%) of representatives acknowledged that their organisation’s job descriptions, adverts and application forms are not easy for somebody with a learning disability to read and fill in
- 46% worried there was extra work involved in recruiting and managing someone with a learning disability
- 72% believed people with a learning disability are able to work in their workforce.
-ENDS-
For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact the Mencap press office on 020 7696 5414 or media@mencap.org.uk.
About Inclusive Employers
Inclusive Employers is a membership organisation which, through campaigns, initiatives, training and consultancy helps employers develop an inclusive workplace, avoid the pitfalls of
discrimination
Discrimination is when someone is treated differently (usually in a bad way) because of things like their disability or their
religion
Religion is to do with the things you believe about the world. For example you may believe there is a god or something else. Examples of religions are Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.
.
and maximize the potential of all employees in order be more successful.
About Mencap
There are 1.4 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.
For advice and information about learning disability and Mencap services in your area, contact Mencap Direct on 0808 808 1111 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday) or email help@mencap.org.uk
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.
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.
Learning disability is not a mental illness or a learning difficulty. Very often the term ‘learning difficulty’ is wrongly used interchangeably with ‘learning disability’.