The UK Government has launched a new disability awareness campaign, #AskDontAssume (writes TUC’s EMMA KOSMIN). Disabled people have had to point out that the campaign is offensive and harmful. But the government are not listening to disabled people.
The campaign encourages the public to ask disabled people questions about their lives. This can often be intrusive and upsetting.
The irony is that this is the same government that have done so much to stigmatize disabled people. They have cut services to the bone, and used disabled people as a scapegoat. And they have taken no meaningful action to address systematic barriers.
In fact, disabled workers are on the sharp end of the pay and cost of living crisis created by the government.
Seven in ten (69%) disabled workers now earn less than £15 an hour. That’s compared to half (50%) of non-disabled workers.
And disabled people are much more likely to be on zero hours contracts.
We need action from the government, not a fluffy PR campaign that will lead to even more harm.
Here are five things that the government should do, that would actually be helpful:
1. Raise the minimum wage to £15 an hour as soon as possible, to tackle the low pay that impacts disabled workers.
2. Stamp out insecure work by banning zero hours contracts and ending fire and rehire.
3. Make employers put reasonable adjustments in place for disabled workers. And bring in fines for employers that don’t.
4. Bring in disability pay gap reporting. Employers should have to publish how much they pay disabled workers, compared to non-disabled workers.
5. Make flexible working the norm for everyone.
Disabled workers need a pay rise and better terms and conditions at work – not another meaningless PR exercise.
FRASER OF ALLANDER INSTITUTE PUBLISHES INITIAL FINDINGS
Disabled adults are significantly less likely to be in work compared to adults without disabilities (write ALLISON CATALANO and CHIRSTY McFADYEN).
In Scotland, 81% of working aged adults without disabilities had jobs in 2021, compared to just under 50% of adults with disabilities. This discrepancy of 31 percentage points – called the “disability employment gap” – is larger in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK (Chart 1).
Scotland has a goal of reducing the disability employment gap by half between 2016 and 2038. The 2021 numbers, encouragingly, show an improvement of 6 percentage points. A higher proportion of disabled people moved into work in Scotland between 2014 and 2021 compared to the UK as a whole, as well.
Chart 1: Gap in employment between people with and without disabilities in Scotland and in the UK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
In 2023, the DWP published a report on the employment of disabled people in the UK. This report looked at the reason why employment among people with disabilities has increased, while employment for the rest of the population has stayed roughly the same.
The DWP report highlighted four reasons behind the growth in the number of disabled people in employment:
Disability prevalence has increased in the UK, and the most common types of disabilities have changed.
The non-disabled employment rate has increased, implying that more jobs are available to both groups.
The disability employment gap has been narrowing overall.
There are more individuals in the working-age population.
The level of detail provided in the DWP report for the UK is difficult to replicate for Scotland with publicly available data: smaller sample sizes north of the border mean that more restrictions are placed on the data available to ensure that appropriate care has been taken with interpreting the robustness of results.
The Fraser of Allander Institute, in collaboration with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) are undertaking work to understand whether the same factors are driving changes in Scotland, and if not, what is different here and why.
This work is ongoing and future articles will get into more of the detail. This article sets the scene about the scale of the issue in Scotland vs the UK based on what know from data currently available.
What’s the state of disability employment in Scotland?
Scotland has a higher proportion of working-aged disabled people compared to the UK. It also has a lower rate of employment among disabled people, and a larger gap in employment between people with and without disabilities. Employment rates are noticeably different for different types of disabilities in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK, and disabled peoples are less likely to have educational qualifications in Scotland.
How is disability defined?
The current definition used in UK (and Scottish) surveys comes from the Government Statistical Service and the 2010 Equality Act. This change affected data collection from mid-2013 onwards, meaning that it’s not possible to compare current data to data before 2013. Our analysis specifically looks at the data since 2014 as a result.
This definition covers people who report “current physical or mental health conditions of illnesses lasting or expected to last 12 months or more; and that these conditions or illnesses reduce their ability to carry out day-to-day activities.” Previously, the definition was based on the Disability Discrimination Act (2005) (DDA), which applied to “all people with a long term health problem or disability that limits their day-to-day activities.” The slight difference in these terms means that some people may qualify as DDA disabled but not as Equality Act disabled.
Scotland has consistently had a higher proportion of working-aged disabled people.
In 2014, around 18% of the Scottish working-age population were classified as Equality Act disabled.
Since 2014, the number of disabled working-age adults has grown by around 222,000 people, making up over 24% of the working-age population as of 2021. By comparison, the total size of the working-age population only grew by around 31,000 people over the same time period. had a higher proportion of disabled adults in 2014 than the UK average, and this gap has widened over time. The 2021 data shows a further significant divergence, but this may be due to particular issues related to the pandemic and may not persist (Chart 2).
Chart 2: The size of the Scottish population with and without disabilities, and the proportion of the population with disabilities from 2014-21.
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Scotland has a higher disability gap and a lower rate of employment among disabled people.
Employment rates for working-aged people without disabilities in Scotland is roughly the same as in the rest of the UK. Employment rates for disabled people is much lower, however.
Since 2014, disabled people have moved into work faster in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK. The employment gap fell by around 6.5 percentage points between 2014 and 2021 in Scotland, compared to a fall of around 4.5 percentage points for the entire UK (Chart 3).
Chart 3: Proportion of adults between 16-64 that are in work by disability status, Scotland and the UK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Scotland has different employment rates for people with different types of disabilities.
Unsurprisingly, Scotland has lower employment rates than the UK as a whole for the vast majority of types of disability.
The largest differences in employment rates are for people with diabetes, chest or breathing problems, and difficulty with seeing, hearing, or speech. Scotland fares better in the employment of people with stomach, liver, kidney and digestion problems, for instance, and slightly better for people with autism.[1]
Chart 4: Proportion of the working-age population with disabilities by working status and type of disability, 2022
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021. * Estimates are based on a small sample size and may not be precise.
Disabled people have lower qualification levels in Scotland.
Disabled people are more likely to have no qualifications than those without disabilities, both in Scotland and the UK. Scottish adults are also more likely to have no qualifications compared to the rest of the UK, although the gap in qualifications for disabled people is larger for Scotland than for the rest of the country (Chart 4).
The proportion of people with no qualifications has been falling in recent years. This may be due to older people, on average, being less likely to have formal qualifications, and as they move to retirement age, the number of working age people without qualifications goes down.
For disabled people, it may also be true that the increase in the number of disabled people have changed the make-up of the disabled population, especially for people who are becoming disabled later in life (for example, due to mental health issues that present post-education).
Chart 5: Proportion of working-age adults with no qualifications by disability status, Scotland & rUK, 2014-21
Source: Annual Population Survey, 2014-2021
Where are there gaps in our knowledge?
As discussed at the start, publicly available data on disability types is severely limited. For example, survey data in Scotland has detailed disaggregation on different types of disability, but only publicly provides information on whether or not someone qualifies as disabled under the 2010 Equality Act definition. The Scottish Government has been making strides to improve this data, however – a 2022 publication analyses disability employment by type of disability, but only examines one year.
One particular issue that we have found is for people who have a learning disability where the data is extremely poor. We will be publishing a new article later this week that sets out some of the particular issues for people with a learning disability.
Our next phase of research will look into more of the detail around employment levels for people in Scotland living with different disabilities based on access to non-public secure data held by the ONS. There may still be limits on the data we are able to use (for example, where robustness thresholds set by the ONS are not met), but we hope we will be able to add to the evidence base here in Scotland and provide better insights for policy makers and stakeholders on where support needs to be focussed.
The health assessments system to access vital benefits for those who cannot work or face extra costs due to disability or ill-health continues to let down those who rely on it, according to Westminster’s Work and Pensions Committee.
In its latest Report, the Committee calls for the implementation of several measures that would be relatively quick and easy wins to improve trust, drive down the high rate of decisions reversed on appeal and reduce waiting times.
It says assessments should be recorded by default, with claimants having the option to opt-out, adding that footage could be used to review cases more accurately without having to go to appeal, and help assessors learn from past mistakes.
Some of the improvements the Committee suggest could drive down the high rate of decisions reversed on appeal, which still stands at 69% for Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Although the Work Capability Assessment used for Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance is due to be abolished, it will remain in place until at least 2026. Meanwhile, PIP assessments will continue, so retaining the status quo is not an option.
MPs on the Committee also recommended allowing claimants to choose between remote or in-person assessments, extending the deadline to return forms, targets to reduce assessment waiting times, and payments to people who have been forced to wait beyond the new targets.
Committee Chair Sir Stephen Timms MP said: ““We surveyed eight and a half thousand people as part of our inquiry and found a profound lack of trust in the system as a consistent theme.
“Many will welcome abolition of the Work Capability Assessment. The Government’s process improvements, and recognition that the system causes undue stress and hardship, are steps in the right direction.
“However, waiting years for changes won’t cut it when quicker wins are available: flexibility of choice on assessment by phone or face-to-face; recording assessments by default; extending deadlines to reduce stress; and sending claimants their reports. All this will give much-needed transparency to a process that so few trust yet affects their lives so fundamentally.
“All efforts must be made for unnecessary limbo and stress for claimants to be put to an end.”
Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland, the public body that provides funding support to young disabled people living in Scotland, has awarded over £10m of funding to more than 5,000 people through its life-changing Transition Fund over the past five years.
ILF Scotland marks these milestones ahead of the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities (03 December) whose theme for 2022 is Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world.
The Transition Fund, administered by ILF Scotland, is for disabled people aged between 16 and 25 and aims to help young people develop their independence, confidence, and participation within their communities. Since 2017, funds have been used for new activities and experiences that will improve the transition period from childhood into adulthood.
The Transition Fund’s 5-year anniversary and achievements of the young people who have benefited from this transformative funding were celebrated at an event on 30 November at the Glasgow Science Centre.
This was attended by nearly 200 young disabled people and their families from across Scotland and supported by Maree Todd MSP, the Scottish Government’s Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport.
Peter Scott OBE, ILF Scotland Chief Executive Officer,commented:“We are proud to celebrate five years of the Transition Fund, which has had a profound impact on more than 5,000 young disabled people from across every local authority in Scotland.
“The theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022 holds so much meaning to us and our recipients. Our funding support is truly transformative, helping to enhance confidence, independence and participation in Scotland’s communities and society at large, with a real drive towards ‘trying something new”.
“Since its inception in 2018, we have provided funding support to young disabled people across every Local Authority in Scotland. The number of applications and the value of funds awarded increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with more young disabled turning to the Transition Fund for support.
“ILF Scotland also reported a rise in community participation after receiving funding from those young disabled people otherwise at risk of isolation.”
Maree Todd MSP, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport added: “It was a real privilege to join ILF Scotland in celebrating the achievements of young people and the first five years of the Transition Fund.
“The Scottish Government fully recognises the challenges that many young disabled people experience as they transition to adult life and we are determined to improve the support offered to young people during this important period of their lives.
“I am therefore delighted to announce the launch of the ILF Scotland Transition Fund Technology Grant. This grant will be easy to apply for and offers the applicant the opportunity to get an iPad, a Surface Go 3 tablet or a Chromebook laptop to enable them to overcome digital isolation and connect with online and physical communities.”
New for 2022, the Technology Grant has been introduced to build on the Transition Fund’s financial support and meet demand from those applying for technology to help them stay connected. ILF Scotland staff can offer guidance to those applicants requiring specific technology as part of this new support.
A forward thinking national charity scheme which aims to improve quality of life and independence for young disabled adults aged 18-24, is calling for families to apply for the much-needed support.
Faced with three times higher costs to raise a disabled child or young adult, the current cost-of-living crisis is deeply challenging for families – now finding it even harder to afford the things their disabled young person needs to transition to adulthood- including technology, training and leisure activities.
National charity Family Fund is urging families with an 18-24 year old young adult to apply for wide-ranging grants through its Your Opportunity scheme, set up three years ago to help young disabled adults lead more fulfilling lives and realise ambitions.
The scheme has so far supported over 2,000 families and funds are available to help over 1,000 more young adults by next spring.
Family Fund, is the UK’s largest grant-making charity for families living on a low income, raising disabled and seriously ill children and young people.
Cheryl Ward, Family Fund’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “Raising a disabled or seriously ill child is three times more expensive than raising other children .When a child reaches 18, we know they lose an average of 57% of the support and benefits they had before they reached adulthood so costs are even higher for families.
“This financial cliff-edge can be very tough for parents and carers of young adults, but when the cost of living is rising ever higher, and families are having to cut down on essentials like food and heating, there is little room for the extras which improve a young person’s quality of life.”
Your Opportunity grants include:
· computer or tablet grants to support young people with further education, online hobbies and the overall building of independence;
· transport costs for bus fares for appointments, or to support independent travel to clubs or hobbies;
· help with the cost of membership fees, season tickets, computer games, and music systems to promote recreation and days out;
· help with the costs of buying a provisional driving licence, and other learning materials to support driving ambitions;
· white goods to help with independence, or help make mealtimes easier for carers;
· sports, or lightweight, wheelchair to enable participation in sport activities, or access to activities that would not be possible with a day-to-day wheelchair.
The Your Opportunity scheme was initially set up in 2019 by Family Fund with a donation of £500,000 over five years from the Edward Gostling Foundation. The Foundation has committed to continue the funding for the next ten years.
The success of the scheme has also led to the Pears Foundation providing grants of £600,000 over two years.
Cheryl Wardadded: “We are extremely grateful to The Edward Gostling Foundation and the Pears Foundation for recognising the need to plug the gap in support and we are proud to be working with them to improve the lives of so many young people.
“We are committed to continue to grow this income further.”
Families are eligible to apply if the young person lives at home with their parent or main carer.
Families interested in making an application for a young person should go to:
This week is Dyslexia Awareness Week (4th– 10th October) and an education expert has shared five pieces of advice on how to support children if they have learning disabilities.
Interestingly, research conducted by Oxford Home Schooling revealed that while overseeing their children’s learning during lockdown, many parents spotted potential signs of a learning difficulty.
Nearly half (47%) identified symptoms of dyslexia (difficulty reading, writing and spelling), whilst more than one in four (29%) observed possible indicators of dysgraphia (impaired handwriting or spelling).
To help parents who now think their child may have a learning difficulty, Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, has put together a guide on how best to support your child and what your next steps should be.
1. Get your child diagnosed
If your child’s difficulties are having a significant impact on their learning, it’s a good idea to have them tested for a condition and diagnosed.
A diagnosis can open the door for your child to receive appropriate learning support in school. This includes allowing them extra time in exams and being supported by a teaching assistant, so it’s a good idea to look into this as early as possible.
If you’ve observed signs that your child may have a learning difficulty, you should speak to your GP, who can either make the diagnosis themselves, or refer the child for the appropriate tests.
2. Speak to your GP
Once a child is diagnosed with a learning difficulty, you should consult your GP. They will then be able to recommend and refer you to an appropriate specialist for support1.
Specialists can include speech and language therapists, educational and clinical psychologists and paediatricians, among others.
3. Make the school aware
Once you have an idea of the areas where your child is struggling, you will need to make their school and teachers aware of the situation.
This will allow the school to put extra support in place should your child require it. They will need time to consider how the condition might affect the child’s learning and work out how best to adapt their teaching.
4. Talk to others
Many parents find it difficult to process the diagnosis of a learning difficulty and it can be a challenge to adapt to your child’s new needs.
Don’t be afraid to seek out the support of other parents who have experienced similar situations. There are many support groups and forums out there for advice, and you and your child can even build new friendships.
5. Support your child
The important thing to remember is that you need to support your child, whether this is with their learning, or any other aspects of life that they struggle with.
Being diagnosed with a learning difficulty is by no means the end of the world and children with such conditions go on to enjoy rich and fulfilling lives.
You will need to be patient, and it may be challenging at times, but with the correct support system in place your child will be fine.
For information on the benefits of homeschooling for children with learning disabilities and special educational needs, head to this page:
From today (20 September) around six million disabled people in the UK will start to receive their one-off £150 Disability Cost of Living payment
Six million people who are paid certain disability benefits will begin to receive a one-off payment of £150 from today
Payments are part of the government’s wider £37 billion support package, including the Energy Price Guarantee and cost of living payments totalling £650
Those who had confirmed payment of their disability benefit for 25 May will receive the £150 automatically, with the vast majority to be paid by early October.
The payment will help disabled people with the rising cost of living, acknowledging the higher disability-related costs they often face, such as for care and mobility needs.
The cost of living payments from the government are part of a £37 billion package of support, which will see millions of households receive at least £1,200 this year to help cover rising costs, and follows the Prime Minister’s announcement of a new Energy Price Guarantee for the next two winters saving households on average £1,000 a year on their energy bills.
Work and Pensions Secretary Chloe Smith said: “We know disabled people face additional costs and this government is listening and taking decisive action to protect the most vulnerable in our society.
“In addition to the £150 Disability Cost of Living payment, households will save an average of £1,000 a year through our new Energy Price Guarantee and the lowest-income households will receive at least £1,200 to help with the rising cost of living this year.
“This multi-billion-pound package of support reinforces our commitment to help UK households, particularly those with disability challenges, through the tough times ahead.”
UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng said: “The government is providing vital support to shield the most vulnerable from rising prices caused by global economic challenges.
“From today, a one-off £150 payment will automatically land in over six million disabled peoples’ accounts. This is in addition to the decisive action we took last week to hold down energy bills over the next two years, saving the average household £1,000 a year.
“The government is standing behind people this winter, and in the longer term we are focusing on driving economic growth – the only way to permanently boost everyone’s living standards.”
MSPs are asking for the public to share their views on the support that is currently available for disabled children and young people as they grow into adulthood.
The findings will be considered by the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee as part of their scrutiny of a Bill which seeks to introduce more structured support for disabled children and young people in their transition to adulthood.
The Bill has been proposed by Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP, following on from work started by Johann Lamont in the last session of Parliament.
If passed, the Bill would make three main changes to the law:
the Scottish Government would need to have a strategy explaining how they are going to improve opportunities for disabled children and young people
a Scottish Government minister would be placed in charge of improving opportunities for disabled children and young people moving into adulthood
local authorities would need to have plans for each disabled child and young person as they move into adulthood
Sue Webber MSP, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said: “A young person’s transition to adulthood is a critical stage in their lives and our Committee wants to be sure that the right kind of support is available to help disabled children and young people as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.
“We want to hear the views of disabled children and young people, their parents and their carers on these proposals.
“We’re particularly keen to understand more about the how the support that is currently available is viewed.”
The Committee’s call for views and survey on the Bill opened on 1 September and people can share their views until 27 October 2022.
An inspirational design competition has a new cheerleader after a charity expert was appointed to help drive as many entries as possible.
Highly experienced Marie McQuade will now devote herself to raising awareness of the Blackwood Design Awards, which aim to transform the lives of those who need support to live independently.
The Dragon’s Den style competition has helped uncover a host of innovations to help people with disabilities or age-related conditions – but was put on hold for two years during the pandemic.
Now it is hoped Marie’s appointment will help relaunch the refreshed competition which typically attracts innovation and design breakthroughs from all over the world.
She said: “In Blackwood’s 50th year, it is more important than ever to celebrate and showcase the amazing inventions that have the potential to accelerate the industry and provide significant benefits to peoples’ lives.
“Every year individuals and organisations from around the world send in their thoughtful designs and we are really looking forward to seeing who will submit what and from where.
“This opportunity is hugely exciting and I am really looking forward to organising this unique and highly impactful competition that will see new designs, technologies and adaptations come to life.”
Marie joins Blackwood with over 25 years’ experience in the charity sector, having worked in diverse roles, supporting causes including Victim Support Scotland and the Scottish International Development Alliance.
She previously held a senior role at THINK Consulting Solutions, an International fundraising specialist which has worked with charities all over the world, developing fresh, innovative solutions to boost not for profit funds in a competitive landscape.
She has also supported Third Sector Organisations to grow their insights, income and impact at charities such as Changing Faces UK, Maggie’s Cancer Caring Centres and Mencap, where she gained a wealth of knowledge in fundraising, events and communications.
Colin Foskett, Blackwood’s Head of Innovation, who kickstarted the Design Awards, said: “Marie comes with a tremendous amount of experience and knowledge in the charity and fundraising sector and is perfectly equipped to deliver the Design Awards to the highest standard.
“She has already thrown herself into the jobs at hand and we are both really looking forward to welcoming this year’s wonderful selection of up-and-coming innovators.”
Marie’s work will see her approaching universities, innovation hubs, tech incubators and other organisations with a stake in design, engineering and technology to encourage them to enter the awards.
She will also play an instrumental role in organising the event, including attracting sponsorship and recruiting members of the judging panel for the Dragon’s Den style competition, which will see entries evaluated on their ability transform lives.
Previous winners have included an app that helps make living spaces safer for people with dementia and inventor Grant Douglas’ “spill proof” spoon – the S’up Spoon – designed for those affected by conditions which cause them to shake.
Key categories include Best Collaborative Project, Best New Concept and Best New Aids, Equipment or Accessible Technology.
Groups or individuals can apply for the Blackwood Design Awards which are open to both seasoned professionals and gifted amateurs, meaning that both technologically advanced and those simpler, yet often most successful designs, are equally welcome.
The awards will mark Blackwood’s 50th Anniversary, since the it was founded by Dr Margaret Blackwood, a respected campaigner for improvement to help people with disabilities to live more independently.
Blackwood now operates more than 1500 properties across 29 local authorities, and invests in innovation and technology to help people live life to the full.
The charity has already built two developments of tech-smart ‘Blackwood Homes’ in Glasgow and Dundee which use a “CleverCogs” digital system to make life easier for older people and people with disabilities.
