Many people with disabilities want to work and enjoy successful careers. For many, finding a job is a difficult process, especially in the current economic climate, but for disabled people it can be even more difficult. There is however help and support available to encourage disabled independence.
Help with looking for work
If you are looking for work, you should consider going to the Job Centre. Here you can talk with advisors and look for vacancies which may suit your preferences and skills set. You can benefit from the help and advice of a Job Centre Plus adviser. They may also decide that you would benefit from specialist advice from a Disability Employment Adviser; they have knowledge and experience of employment for disabled people and they will be able to help you to find a suitable position, as well as offering help with preparing for interviews and adapting to the world of work.
Disability and employers
All employers are forbidden to discriminate against people with a disability. However, some employers are much more disability-friendly than others and there are some signs you can look out for when you are looking for jobs. Some employers put a disability symbol on their adverts, many have equal opportunities policies and many have applications forms in a variety of formats (this shows that they have thought about applicants with disabilities and suggests that they will continue to make efforts to accommodate disabled people in the future). At the Job Centre, adverts with two ticks mean that the job is suitable for people with disabilities.
Support at work
Employers are required to provide the same training opportunities for disabled people as other employees. This means they must make reasonable adjustments to current procedures and programmes to accommodate disabled employees. The boss may also decide to train and talk to other employees about ways to make life easier for disabled employees and changing standard policies and procedures to make sure that disabled employees are fully integrated into the workplace and able to achieve disabled independence. Access to Work is a programme, which is designed to help people whose disability may affect their performance or ability to do their job; the programme provides additional support and financial assistance to enable people to participate in work life. The programme may provide help with paying for transport to get to work or help to fund a support worker.
Rights at work
The Equality Act was introduced in 2010 and forbids employers to discriminate against disabled people. This includes potential and current employees. The act also requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to the workplace to accommodate disabled employees. This may include putting in ramps or lifts, making papers available in large print or Braille and adjusting work hours.
If you think you are being treated unfairly or you are being discriminated against, you should take action. It may be beneficial to talk to your employer first. If they are unreasonable, remind them of your rights and if the discussion does reach a satisfactory resolution, you may want to take it further. You can contact Acas (Advisory, Arbitration and Conciliation Service) or make an official complaint to the Employment Tribunal.