What DR UK wants from the Green Paper on disability, employment and the work capability assessment.
Commenting on Government plans to make changes to the work capability assessment and the way disabled people are supported to get and keep jobs, Liz Sayce, chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said:
‘We welcome any changes which mean that disabled people feel they are being supported to get a job, rather than threatened by a system which isn’t fit for purpose.
‘The work capability assessment test doesn’t do what it should, and revamping it is way overdue.
‘We also need much better support for those who can work, including more tailored help, such as mentoring and peer to peer support schemes – where disabled people get encouragement from others already in work or seeking work. These are the types of schemes disabled people have told us they want but don’t get offered.
‘And we need a stronger message to business. It doesn’t matter how willing and skilled disabled people become if employers don’t employ them. Government needs to put in place a carrot and stick approach which is much more robust than the current one; it will not meet its ambition of halving the disability employment gap with business campaigns involving gentle persuasion alone.
‘Some people are too unwell to work. The current system makes many people fearful; we need social security and welfare to work systems that treat people with dignity and respect, rather than coercion and fear.”