Ready, Willing and Disabled
Disabled people: key findings
There is a general lack of understanding about the needs of the person with disabilities. Employers worry about how they might cope in the organisation and what problems or disruption they might bring to the organisation. In my case employers fail to see past my wheelchair - it creates a barrier to them being able to see beyond the disability and look at my skills and experience."
Disabled respondent
- When they were last looking for work, disabled people made an average of two and half times as many job applications as non-disabled people and yet got fewer job offers.
- 82% of disabled respondents felt that fear of the unknown, i.e. the fact that most employers don't know a disabled person, and haven't worked with someone before, prevents employers taking on disabled employees.
- 78% of disabled people thought that the assumption that disabled people need more support from their colleagues and managers prevents employers employing disabled people.
- 37% of disabled people thought that negative staff attitudes were a barrier to finding employment.
- 86% of disabled respondents said that poor physical access in the workplace is a barrier to getting employment.
- 74% of disabled people thought inaccessible public transport is a barrier to getting work. Only 20% of employers agreed that this was a problem suggesting there is a significant lack of awareness of the access barriers disabled people face daily.
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