Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities – IASE AGM- Marion Wilkinson Senior Policy and Public Affairs Advisor

UN Convention on Disability Article 27 Right to work, on an equal basis with others Effective access to vocational guidance, placement, and training Promote employment through affirmative action and other measures Provide reasonable accommodation at work Promote work experience in open labour market

Low participation in work People with disabilities are only half as likely to have a job Strong link between education and employment Strong link between no job and poverty 60% of people with disabilities not working are restricted in type or amount of work they can do But 15% of those who have difficulty working are in a job

Employment rates 2011 aged 20 to 64

Vision - draft People with disabilities can get a job and enjoy a rewarding career Focus Lifecycle focus – from birth, through school, into adult life. People with disability from birth + those with acquired disabilities

Values 1- People with disabilities are enabled to have jobs, earn a living and make a contribution People with disabilities are supported to maximise their potential The focus is on a person’s capacity not their incapacity The strategy covers people across the spectrum of disability

Values 2 – It pays to have a job People with disabilities get the supports they need to work Support systems that cross departmental or agency boundaries are mutually coherent and provide a joined-up system and joined-up pathways Actions in this Strategy are built into the mainstream national employment strategy

Draft strategic priorities SP1 Build skills, capacity and independence SP2 Provide bridges and supports into work SP3 Make work pay SP4 Promote job retention and re-entry to work SP5 Provide co-ordinated and seamless support SP6 Engage employers