13 December 2005
Dear Sir,
The fact that three out of ten disabled people are living in poverty comes as no surprise, and numbers are guaranteed to rise if action is not taken (More disabled people below poverty line, December 13).
The government has focused on employment as a path out of poverty, yet many people with a disability who want to work experience considerable barriers. It is estimated that only 11 per cent of people with learning disabilities of working age have paid work, from a population of 800,000.
People with learning disabilities are not given sufficient support from schools and colleges to help them gain vocational skills and experience to prepare them for the workplace. The benefits system acts as a serious disincentive to undertaking paid work. For many with a job, the removal of Council Tax benefit and the steep taper on housing benefit means they are likely to be no better off, no matter how much they earn.
Employment for people with learning disabilities needs to be a priority, and attitudes need to be shifted - many people with learning disabilities want a job and to make a valuable contribution through work.
Yours faithfully,
Hazel Morgan, Co-Director of the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities, Sea Containers House, 20 Upper Ground, London, SE1 9QB. Tel: 020 7803 1140. Email: hmorgan@fpld.org.uk
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