There is a much better way to help disabled folks pay attention to us, for starters | Sue Marsh

Disabled men and women protest at Westminster against cuts in their advantages Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

Employment and support allowance (ESA), the benefit that offers support if you are too unwell or grow to be so disabled that you cannot operate, is failing on each level.

These days, the Spartacus network of disability campaigners – all sick or disabled ourselves – launches its report Beyond Barriers, the most up to date evaluation of how the ESA, the Work Programme and the workplace itself is avoiding disabled men and women from discovering employment, reaching their total potential and is failing to conserve the taxpayer cash.

The assumptions on which the ESA was founded in 2008: that the caseload was also large that incapacity advantage was too simply available that there had been folks claiming IB who weren’t ill enough to merit it that work is fairly significantly universally “excellent for you” are unsound. The framework, set by the Department for Operate and Pensions, that decides who does or isn’t going to qualify is inadequate, inconsistent and incomplete health-related proof is not sought in sufficient instances numerous centres are inaccessible to the disabled people they must assess and effective appeals have hit an all-time large of 43%, the highest of any advantage.

But perhaps the biggest failure of all is the lack of support for people told they have to locate function and assured they will be “supported at every single stage”. Just 5% of these referred to the Work Programme on ESA have located sustained function. Companies are accused of “cherry-picking” the best to assist claimants even though “parking” people with higher demands with small or no speak to. There is no communication between ESA and the Function Programme, which means that, astonishingly, a perform supplier hardly ever has any knowledge or understanding of the disability affecting someone’s potential to perform. In practice they typically treat the sick or disabled particular person just like any other jobseeker.

To comprehensive the cycle of failure, it is clear that the workplace is all also often nonetheless not a welcoming location for individuals who suffer from long-phrase health situations, mental well being concerns or disabilities. Disabled people with similar abilities and qualifications to non-disabled people are significantly less very likely to be in work, are paid significantly less, are a lot more most likely to live in poverty and they report high amounts of discrimination awhen searching for perform.

In the 21st century it is achievable to do so a lot a lot more: flexible functioning modern schemes much more fluid help with less complicated transition on and off social protection. We could make certain that somebody attempting to access help can discover all the information they require – work support, training, rehabilitation, rewards tips and health care in a single place from one particular supportive adviser or caseworker. We could improve the capability of people who nevertheless require some support to do a minor work and make that operate pay out.

But if we don’t engage employers and companies and guarantee that they do more than “aspire” to like sick and disabled people in their structures, just how much can the state do to ensure that every person achieves their full potential?

Our report sets out our vision for what need to exchange ESA, how the marketplace can much better accommodate all employees, regardless of impairment and how a operate programme may possibly perform that really offered the help now promised but not delivered.

Crucially, the report concludes: “A program that works for sick and disabled people, while also making worth for taxpayers, need to have not be a contradiction in terms. But to achieve it, we need to very first be prepared to pay attention.”

Adhere to #BeyondBarriers on Twitter and Facebook these days and join us in calling for a far better deal for people living with illnesses or disabilities and their carers.

There is a much better way to help disabled folks pay attention to us, for starters | Sue Marsh