News

The Scottish Governnment has published its Employment Action Plan for people who have a disability.

With only around 40% of working age disabled adults in employment, compared with more than 80% of non-disabled adults, the new funding is part of an action plan outlining how this gap can be at least halved over the next 20 years. The plan sets an initial ambition to increase the employment rate of disabled people to 50% by 2023 then to 60% by 2030.

The action plan also includes:

The Government has published a line manager's guide to employing people with a disability. It's been produced by the Disability Confident scheme in collaboration with CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development.

The guidance focuses on the role of the line manager in workplace adjustments, langauge and behaviour and sickness absence. It also provides guidance on recruiting, retaining and developing employees with a disability or health condition.

Welsh Social Care Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies, has announced a new strategy to transform support for people with a learning disability to ensure they have what they need to lead successful lives.

The Work and Pensions committee has called on the Government to do more to promote the use of assistive technology (AT) to help more disabled people into work. Its report says it can help to close the disability employment gap and improve national productivity.

The report details how the technology can greatly help the employment prospects of people currently claiming benefits, and help them to control their home environments when it is integrated with computers, phones and gadgets.