The UK government recently announced a £1 billion investment in tailored employment support for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions as part of widespread welfare reform. This means the number of disabled people applying for jobs will increase.
However, future reforms to employment support will require improvement to the schemes that assist disabled people into work and better training to ensure employers are responsible for improving inclusion in their workplaces.
In this article, disability campaigner Michael McEwan examines the disability employment gap in Scotland and suggests ways to improve barriers to employment.
People with a disability still face many barriers as they navigate seeking employment in Scotland.
In 2022, 82.5% of working-aged adults without disabilities had jobs in Scotland, compared to just over 50% of adults with disabilities. This discrepancy of 32 percentage points, called the “employment gap,” is larger in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.
Joseph Delaney, who has Asperger’s, is a professional musician and has worked for Limelight Music in Glasgow as a musical director, mentor, workshop assistant and actor. He’s currently conducting the choir and playing organ at St Aidan’s Church, having recently worked temporarily for Russell Contracts in Hillington as a Production Line Packer.
He told me, “The barriers and challenges I’ve faced were toughest during the pandemic. I was applying for jobs constantly on Microsoft Teams and was not successful in getting any jobs in primary schools working with children with different kinds of disabilities. I’m still looking for work with support from Values Into Action Scotland(VIAS), who are sensitive to my own disability.
“I’ve had seven interviews, and I was not successful in any of these, but I was given feedback on where I needed to improve,” he said. “Companies need to give more support to adults with disabilities and have empathy for them. They also need to understand that people with autistic minds need extra support, as their mind works differently from someone who is not autistic. They can also take things literally. I also think universities need to have more of an understanding of people who are disabled.
“In the music industry, there also needs to be consideration even when professional directors or musical directors understand special needs. I worked in musical theatre and was given the opportunity to compose a music score for the cast and was given little help to get through the work. My needs were not met to correct the errors in the score. People with a disability need support when these challenges arise”
Values into Action Scotland (VIAS) advocates that people with learning disabilities and autistic people have the same opportunities as everyone else and are supported to achieve these goals, whether to work, live where they want or have a relationship. VIAS was founded in 2007 and, in 18 years, has rolled out a number of development programmes and initiatives, including nationwide careers showcase Young Scotland’s Got Talent and The Life I Want. In 2021, post-pandemic, VIAS launched Triple E Renfrewshire, bringing job coaching to even more job seekers and employers.
Alyson Woodhouse, who is registered blind, is a freelance theatre practitioner and access consultant specialising in creating work that is fully accessible to disabled people. She found many barriers to getting a job.
“When working in the creative industry, I’ve often found it difficult to reach the interview stage of higher profile jobs such as directing, though it has been easier to find smaller jobs such as script reading,” she said. “I’ve also found it easier when attempting to create my own work rather than being dependent on job opportunities from other companies. I’m unsure, however, whether the difficulties I have faced have been due to being disabled, the somewhat competitive nature of the creative industry, or perhaps a level of both.
“Working more generally as an Access Consultant for employers to assess their engagement and employment for disabled people has generally been much easier as there is a definite space for such work to be conducted, and people always seem interested in learning from people with lived experience of disability. I’ve found it difficult to reach the interview stage, especially within the Creative Industry, but as mentioned above, I think this is partly due to the fact that there are so many creative people competing for a limited number of specific jobs.”
SUSE is the national representative body for supported employment providers and anyone interested in ensuring that disabled people across our country have the opportunity to have a working life. Their aim is to support disabled people in finding and retaining paid work by increasing the availability, quality, and impact of supported employment services in Scotland.
SUSE led 67 partner organisations across the four-year project to develop and deliver services that will improve and advance the prospects of disabled people who are looking to enter or sustain paid work. Apt’s focus was to build the capacity of employers, address the gaps in knowledge and expertise, improve the employment prospects of disabled people, and work towards a culture change in our workplaces.
David Cameron, CEO of SUSE, said: “This is a crucial time, with significant economic uncertainty and rising numbers of economically inactive people. We want to ensure that more disabled people get access to high-quality Supported Employment services that will move them into work and provide support for their success.”
The Scottish Government has committed to halving the gap by 2038. One initiative which aimed to support this ambition was the Apt Public Social Partnership (PSP), funded by the Scottish Government and led by the Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE). When Apt PSP began in 2020, the employment rate for disabled people was 45%, compared to 81% for non-disabled people. By 2024, the employment rate for disabled people had risen to 50%. However, the gap didn’t significantly close because the overall employment rate also rose.
Whilst there is progress at a local and national level, disabled employment candidates are still unfairly marginalised and misinterpreted in the business community, and there is a greater need to focus more on abilities and skill sets. Joseph and Alison are just two of many people with disabilities who feel discriminated against, with the spotlight being on their condition and their expertise being the “small print”.
Perhaps the way forward, in part, could be for unsuccessful candidates with a disability to give feedback on their concerns to prospective employers and governing bodies that they are already not the front runners in the race through circumstances outside their control. Change is affected by the voices of many, creating a level platform for people of all abilities to apply for roles without the fear of rejection.
Michael McEwan is a Scottish freelance Journalist and disability campaigner who has Cerebral Palsy.
