Valued in Public

Sponsored by Valuing People

A guide to employing people with a learning disability in the public sector

Many people with a learning disability want to work and represent a substantial source of untapped commitment and talent. Yet they are one of the most under-represented groups in the labour market. Only 17% of people with a learning disability of working age are in employment.

A candidate with a learning disability can often be the best person for a particular job and make a valuable contribution to their employer. 65% of people with a learning disability who are unemployed really want to work. 

What is a learning disability? 

It is estimated that about 1.5 million people in the UK have a learning disability. EFD define a learning disability as ‘having a reduced ability to understand new or complex information and to learn new skills'. There are many different types of learning disability, but they are all caused by the way the brain develops before, during or soon after birth.

A learning disability is not the same as a mental health problem such as depression or ‘learning difficulty' such as dyslexia.

Background 

Valued in Public (VIP) was originally written by Anne O'Bryan and Stephen Beyer in 2005. Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD), in association with the Valuing People Support Team, has completed a comprehensive update.

The new version includes information and examples of best practice from:

• Employers.
• Disability employment experts.
• People with a learning disability who have found work through their employer's commitment to VIP.

Who is Valued in Public for?

VIP is useful for anyone who is interested in improving the employment opportunities for people with a learning disability. It focuses on the role played by HR managers, line managers and people who can provide direct support to candidates with a learning disability throughout the recruitment process.

What does Valued in Public offer? 

VIP supports you from making the business case, through the attract, select and employ stages of the recruitment process, to monitoring your disability confidence once your new employees are in place.

A comprehensive action planning section is provided in the guide; detailing key actions for a HR manager, line manager and supported employment provider/job broker to apply the learning.

VIP is free to download below in either PDF or accessible Word document format.

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