People Management report from the 18th November stated;
Inaccessible job applications are preventing nearly three in 10 people with a learning disability from finding employment, according to research by the UK’s leading learning disability charity.
Mencap, which surveyed 1,625 adults with a learning disability from across the UK, discovered that 29 per cent of unemployed working age adults with a learning disability found it difficult to fill in application forms, preventing them from getting a paid job.
A quarter (26 per cent) said they had applied for jobs but had not got one, while 23 per cent said they did not know how to get a job. Although the Mencap survey revealed that 62 per cent of working age adults with a learning disability wanted to work, official data from the NHS and Office for National Statistics found less than 6 per cent of people with a learning disability who are known to their local authority are in paid employment.
This is compared to more than three-quarters (76 per cent) of the general population.
Mark Capper, head of development at Mencap, said a poor understanding of learning disabilities, as well as practical barriers such as inaccessible application forms, had resulted in people with a learning disability being ‘shut out of work’ even though these individuals can be productive employees with the right support.
People with a learning disability face many barriers to getting into work, but many people with a learning disability often fall at the first hurdle because the recruitment process is inaccessible.
Most employers will not even be aware that by having online-only application forms and formal interview processes, they are closing the door on an untapped talent pool.
To read the full and original article visit People Management website.
Those local to Wiltshire can access support in entering the world of work via our Building Bridges programme.
