Covert probe shows job barriers for youngsters

Paul Carter

Many young disabled people still feel excluded from access to employment because of physical barriers and employer attitudes, a new report has claimed.

Right to Work, an investigation conducted by youth disability campaign group, Trailblazers, surveyed over 100 young disabled people, as well as carrying out undercover investigations of JobCentre Plus centres and recruitment agencies across the UK.

It found that despite being 15 years since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in the UK, three quarters of the young disabled people surveyed said they felt that physical access to the workplace remains a major barrier to finding a job.

The report claims that access to JobCentre Plus and recruitment agencies – places where many disabled people often take their first steps into finding work – are still lagging behind in terms of access, with computers and printers often not at an accessible height, little disabled parking, and staff that need better disability awareness training.

Tanvi Vyas, 26, a wheelchair-user from London, and one of the Trailblazers said: “I once was called to an interview for a job where the interview took place in a Job Centre. I found out afterwards from someone else who worked there that the office was inaccessible, which made me feel the time I’d put into preparing for it was wasted.

“I’ve been told before that I’d have to go in the goods lift to get into a building, and other Trailblazers have had the same experience. That’s not an acceptable way to get to your job each day.”

A spokeswoman for the Department for Work and Pensions, which is responsible for JobCentre Plus, said that it was “absolutely committed to doing all we can to help disabled people into work.”

She said: “JobCentre Plus has dedicated Disability Employment Advisers who are trained to provide disabled people with the right support.  Accessibility improvements have been made to JobCentre Plus premises in recent years, including the introduction of automated doors, ramps, handrails and hearing loop systems.

“Our job points were designed to be accessed by wheelchair-users and were rigorously tested at the time of introduction in 2000. “

The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the employment prospects of young disabled people, including better disability awareness training for all work places, encouraging flexible hours for employees whose impairments make it difficult for them to work full time, ending the forced disclosure of impairments in job applications, and ensuring disabled employees are protected from harassment.