"Our right to exist in the same world as non-disabled people shouldn’t be up for debate"

By Michael McEwan // BBC The Social Contributor // 8 April 2021

Despite great strides across multiple sectors, the UK is still not an even playing field for people with disabilities in 2021. While well intentioned schemes and programmes designed to improve the lives of those affected have had some success, decisions are often made without actually hearing from the disability community itself.

As part of my work for a Scottish disability charity in 2009, I travelled to different organisations around the country, telling my story, sharing my experiences as a person with disabilities and how that’s affected my life. This ranged from my experiences when I was young to the employment landscape for disabled people.

It’s now 12 years later and sadly, I find myself telling the same stories. Though some progress has been made in that time, it feels like we could have gone so much further.

During this process of building awareness around these issues, my self-confidence had grown massively. Not only this, but I’ve also met so many people in the community facing the same issues. This job has also presented opportunities that I never imagined would be possible, especially after time at school which was extremely socially isolating. I’ve dreamed of working in the media since I was young and I even constructed a basic radio studio in my house. I started presenting for hospital radio as soon as I could and since then my opportunities have only grown. Crucially, this has provided me with a platform to amplify the issues that are important to me.

Though I’m incredibly fortunate to have been given these chances, unfortunately, I’m a rare exception, not just in the media, but in the workforce as a whole.

The unemployment rate among people with disabilities is astoundingly high. A report from the Fraser of Allander Institute shows that while the employment rate across Scotland pre-Covid was around 70%, for disabled people it was closer to 45%. The figures for people with learning disabilities is even worse however, with the employment rate as low as 7%.

Why is this? Are qualified candidates being overlooked because of their disabilities despite being entirely capable of fulfilling the role?

I spoke with Liam Simpson who works for the disability organisation, Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS). He told me, “VIAS is currently working with job centres in Scotland to fulfil a heavy staff demand in the care sector due to the pandemic, to match our clients, whether physical or learning disability, to available roles. We have successfully overcome the restrictions to in person interaction and even find we can interact more with clients and potential employers via online platforms.”

The simple truth is that a disability is not a label and it’s not an invitation to treat us any differently. Our right to exist in the same world as non-disabled people shouldn’t be up for debate and we shouldn’t feel like we have to shout about the same basic issues for decades before they’re taken seriously.