Why disability equality is important

Why disability equality is important

Why disability equality is important

Although, under the Further and Higher Education Act (1992) and the Learning and Skills Act (2001), education institutions had duties towards disabled students, the DDA marked a fundamental shift in giving legal rights to disabled students in post-school education.

While increasing numbers of disabled people are now entering post-school education, they are still not achieving educational outcomes on par with their non-disabled peers. In particular, education for disabled students often does not result in desired employment (Burchardt, 2005). The DRC analysis from the Spring 2005 Labour Force Survey indicated that only 50 per cent of disabled adults are employed, compared to 81 per cent of the non-disabled adult population. In the same survey, one-third of those unemployed stated that they would like to find employment.

Skills and qualifications are an ever more crucial determinant of individual life chances. Anyone wishing to secure sustainable employment and an independent life now requires basic skills in numeracy, literacy, information and communications technology (ICT), higher-level formal qualifications and effective ‘informal’ social and interpersonal skills.

The number of jobs that require no qualifications fell from about 18 per cent in 1994 to 11 per cent in 2004, while the number of jobs requiring a degree level qualification or above rose from 23 per cent to 30 per cent. It is predicted that by 2020, 42 per cent of jobs will require a degree level qualification or above.

Of all people in Britain without any formal qualifications, more than a third are disabled. Disabled people are about twice as likely as other citizens to have no recognised qualifications,  and disabled 19-year-olds are three times as likely not to be in employment, education or training.

Studies indicate 49 per cent of disabled people of working age do not work and disabled people are at considerable risk of living in poverty, with severe consequences for their families and children. Of all children living in poverty, one in three has a disabled parent. Disabled people in work are more likely to be in low paid, low skilled jobs. Of all disabled parents living below the poverty line, a quarter (100,000) are in work.

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