It’s concerning to hear that the government’s flagship disability employment scheme, Access to Work, has been called “unlikely to be sustainable in the long term” by Sir Stephen Timms, the social security and disability minister. Yet a group of 30 cross-party MPs, led by Labour MP Marsha de Cordova, has said that the scheme is a lifeline for young people with learning disabilities.
Access to Work offers support to help disabled people in employment and self-employment, including grants to overcome work-related barriers. It has already been subject to ‘hidden’ funding cuts, with services such as support workers for people in paid employment (including sight readers and BSL interpreters) no longer being offered, resulting in some disabled people having to leave their jobs. This makes little sense to me.
The government’s proposed reforms include not providing the health element of Universal Credit (financial support for disabled people or people with health conditions that limit their ability to work) for individuals under the age of 22. Currently, it’s for people aged 18 and over, but the extra costs that most disabled people face are not going to magically disappear between the ages of 18 and 21.
