As part of our plans to drive forward a more inclusive vision of doing business in London, we’ve launched a series of short interviews to find out what some of our members are doing to improve inclusion and diversity (I&D) within their own organisations. Today we hear from Jane Lewis, Senior Lecturer Sociology and Social Policy at London Metropolitan University.
London Metropolitan University in partnership with the London Borough of Islington and the London Borough of Haringey has carried out two research projects looking at the employment gap between people with disabilities and the non-disabled population. The aim of each project was to identify the level of unemployment experienced by people with disabilities locally – indeed, one key aim was to move beyond the ‘umbrella’ term of people with disabilities; people with a range of different disabilities and health conditions can have very different needs and experiences. The aim of the projects was to identify the barriers people with different disabilities and health conditions experience in accessing employment and whether existing employment support services meet their needs. The research carried out focus groups with people with mental health problems; people with neuro-diverse conditions; people with learning disabilities; people with visual and with hearing impairments and people with long-term physical health conditions.
It is well known that people with disabilities have significantly lower levels of employment than non-disabled people. The Central London Forward (CLF) (2022) report highlights the fact that the employment rate for people with disabilities in the CLF area is only 53% as compared with 80% for the non-disabled population. In Islington, it is estimated that 15% of the population has a disability and that only 49% of the working-age population with a disability are in employment. The research also highlights that in Islington people with mental health conditions and people with a long-standing physical health impairment are the most highly represented amongst the disabled non-working population, followed by people with neuro-diverse conditions.
Across all groups, the main and often shocking experience was of unfair treatment and discrimination both in trying to get a job and when in the workplace. People with hearing and visual impairments, learning disabilities, neuro-diversity and mental health conditions in particular highlighted time and again the lack of awareness, training and support from employers and from the employment support services and Job Centres in particular and associated issues of stigma, stereotyping, ignorance and fear. All groups highlighted the need for disability awareness among employers and in the workplace and among staff working in employment support. Many adjustments needed are small such as fire alarms appropriate to the needs of deaf people or lighting and quiet spaces for people with neuro-divergent conditions, or reviews of recruitment processes. The research also highlights the lack of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters and support for deaf people.
The research findings and recommendations have been taken forward by Islington, particularly the lack of support for people with hearing and visual impairments and the Council is currently developing an initiative to increase the number of British Sign Language interpreters as current scarcity is hampering efforts to provide adequate BSL support. Haringey have also fed the research findings into action and delivery planning for Opportunity Haringey to be published in early 2024.
Here at London Metropolitan University we are continuing to build on this research and are currently working in partnership with the National Youth Theatre evaluating their Assemble project which aims to build more connections between young people with learning disabilities and non-disabled young people in order to reduce loneliness and isolation whilst also improving young people with learning disabilities access to cultural facilities.
There is growing recognition of disability awareness and good practice and examples of tool-kits that could be more made widely available. However, the research highlighted that there is still a long way to go. The lack of opportunities and awareness means that many people with disabilities have access at best to low paid and low skilled jobs – indeed, there is not just an employment gap but also a significant wage or income gap between the disabled and non-disabled population – which results in feelings of low confidence and low expectations and ultimately to high levels of poverty among people with disabilities.
Central London Forward (2022) CLF Integration Hub. Employment and skills mapping – interim report. (L&W Learning and Work Institute) Plant et al.