People with Learning Disabilities: Employment

Opened the debate

The MP highlighted the historical context of disabled people in employment, noting that over 90% had jobs post-World War II but today only about 60-65% do. He focused on individuals with learning difficulties and used Jossie's story to illustrate the challenges faced during transitions from education to work. He emphasised the need for individual assessment of abilities and opportunities, urging more support for such transitions. The MP also discussed barriers like worries over benefits and lack of application form accessibility. He praised local initiatives like Rumbles café in Ashfield which trains young people with learning disabilities but expressed concern about its potential closure due to increased rent demands by the local council.

Government Response

The Minister acknowledged the importance of supporting learning-disabled people in securing and sustaining jobs, stating that the Government's goal was met by increasing disability employment by 1.6 million since 2017. He outlined various initiatives such as additional work coach support, strengthened disability employment adviser roles, specific programmes for learning-disabled individuals like local supported employment (LSE), and new universal support schemes aimed at helping inactive disabled people into sustained work. Funding was confirmed for LSE and other programmes including Access to Work adjustments planner and employer offer support to facilitate job adjustments. The Minister praised Rumbles café in Ashfield and suggested a more holistic approach to supporting such initiatives as they improve life chances and minimise costs elsewhere.