Employers' Forum on Disability welcomes the Disability Rights Commission Disability Agenda

14th February 2007

The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) published its Disability Agenda on 14 February.

The Disability Agenda sets out ten public policy challenges, including ‘Ending poverty and widening employment opportunity.'

It states that:

• A national strategy is needed to aid retention of those who become disabled while in work, to stop them falling into poverty.
• There is also a need to raise the expectations of support staff working to help disabled people into work, so that assumptions are not made about disabled individuals' abilities.
• Benefit rules may discourage recipients from engaging in voluntary work, public life or learning, which might be building blocks back into paid work. Welfare reform is unlikely to maximise either employment opportunities or income security and well-being until those contradictions are overcome.

Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) welcomes the DRC's Agenda. EFD is aware of the contradictions in the system and the lack of recognition of the employer as a valued ‘customer' by government, the voluntary sector and employment services.

EFD Chief Executive Susan Scott-Parker says: "Historically the system has been designed more to ‘push' disabled people at the world of work generally, rather than to help employers ‘pull' disabled applicants towards particular jobs.

"In order for the Government to achieve its aim of increasing the number of disabled people in work and out of poverty, it must also develop an employer engagement strategy which facilitates the process employers, intermediaries and disabled people go through, as people move into work."

DRC Chairman Sir Bert Massie launched the Disability Agenda on 14 February at an event attended by Trevor Phillips, Chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights - set to take over from the DRC in October 2007.

Sir Bert Massie talks about the new Agenda in the Guardian (14 February). It can be read here: http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialcare/comment/0,,2012064,00.html

The full Disability Agenda can be found here: http://www.disabilityagenda.org/

The DRC's media release about the Disability Agenda can be found here:

http://www.drc-gb.org/newsroom/news_releases/2007/new_page/disability_agenda_launch.aspx

Ends

Notes to editors

Media enquiries, please contact:

Brenda Otema, Communications & Marketing Officer
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: brenda.otema@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020

About Employers' Forum on Disability

Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 300 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.

www.efd.org.uk