7 replies to this topic

[Gary Anderson]

I read this in my local rag on the way to work today.

"Access to Work is being withdrawn. AtW helps disabled peopole by giving them funding to pay for equipment or anything that may help them in their line of employment. The government is withdrawing AtW from its departments, so there is a quantity of disabled people working in the civil service worried about their future. Furthermore, the governments aggressive drive to get disabled people off benefits and find employment is backfiring. Those disabled popeole are going into unsuitable jobs and possible poverty. So with the withdrawn to AtW and rife discrimination in the job market, where is the incentive for employers to recruit disbaled people? Additionally, where is the incentive for disabled peopole to find jobs?"

[russ1]

It does seem a bit odd that we're paying a whole raft of access to work people to administer a scheme that pays government money back to the government. It's clearly important that the government departments themselves are required to fund the reasonable adjustments in the absence of the access to work scheme funding them but you can see the sense of stopping moving government money about from one department to another.

Still you have to hope that it's not the thin end of a wedge to remove the scheme completely.

We have to be realistic and realise that it really only the big employers and the government departments that are going to make the adjustments and compromises that employing a disabled person involves and we have a long way to go to convince the smaller employers that it's a good idea. I have to say that I wouldn't employ me to do my job if there was a suitably qualified and experienced AB alternative.

[Gary Anderson]

I have to be honest, my employers (the Fat Cats of NHS) when they first interviewed me way back at the time of my accident looked on me as a "liability." However, as the years went by and my condition improved to the point where I coudl walk with sticks, when I went for my present interview, I was not classed as "disabled" by my employers. Indeed, now I find the opposite, because I can get around on 2 sticks, they presume I am fit and able bodied.

AtW was not around then and, indeed, even for my present position it has not really helped me. Although I do know of others who are worse disabled than myself and have made use of the service.

In your reply Russ you said

Quote

I have to say that I wouldn't employ me to do my job if there was a suitably qualified and experienced AB alternative.

. What made you say that? I would have thought the only problem as I see it would be when there is "fire drill." That is always I think at the back of employers minds when employing the disabled. In my case, by the time I get down the stairs, I think I would have burned!

I agree with what you say, I can think of a number of employers who WOULD employ the disabled but the cost of adapting their premises would be extortionate. My sister work in a Glasgow office, one of Glasgow's old Victorian terraces and the place is all stairs and not able to be adapted. However, her employer does employ people with learning difficulities so - loosely - it is still disabled - just not physically.

It will be interesting to see how the government are going to get the disabled back to work when they remove their beefits.

[russ1]

Gary Anderson, on Sep 28 2006, 01:57 PM, said:

In your reply Russ you said

Quote

I have to say that I wouldn't employ me to do my job if there was a suitably qualified and experienced AB alternative.

.
What made you say that? I would have thought the only problem as I see it would be when there is "fire drill." That is always I think at the back of employers minds when employing the disabled. In my case, by the time I get down the stairs, I think I would have burned!

I am actually an employer in that I'm a director of a small company that employs about 10 people. We have an office of 6 - I'm frankly a liability, I have to intterupt people to reach files off high shelves and out of cupboards positioned where I can't get at them. I can't take my turn at the coffee/tea making as I can't carry the coffee, when there's a bit of a flap on site I can't get my old clothes on and lend a hand, I can only realistically manage 3 days a week and I'm almost certainly going to have more time off sick over the coming years, I really should get out to look at work I'm pricing but have to send out other people with cameras, whenever meetings are arranged they have to be at an accessible location which usually means that clients have to come to us which isn't really the right way for things to happen. It's just a long long list of what I can't do and what other people have to do for me with very little positives to balance it. As I'm the boss and the others work for me it's not an issue but there's just too little flexibility employing a disabled person for the average small company. It's not so bad in a big organisation where there are highly defined roles but it's frankly useless in a small company. A disabled person would need to be hugely better at their job (or much cheaper to employ which is probably illegal) than an AB counterpart to make it justifyable from any sort of business standpoint. Sad but true.

It's all very well putting a ramp into a premesis but once in you need a lot more circulation space and room to get to cupboards, shelves etc and for people to get past you if you are not to be trapped behind a desk. I can't think many small business's have this sort of square footage to spare. We certainly don't and access to work whilst very good I don't think are going to want to fund an extra 500 sq feet of lettable office space!

Fire really doesn't come into it - I can make it out of the office in about 20 seconds - nowhere is more than about 10m from the front door!

[jane]

i have to say my employer has been fanastic. admittidly our building is only ground floor and only 6 years old so fairly accessable. they bought me a new chair and had a move round int he office (there are only 3 of us) my shelves of files are lower now. although i can stand and move round the office.

ATW have been good too - they have funded my wheelchair as i have to use it for all my contact time and i need to be able to go out on the streets.

I take my turn at making tea - i go make it and then come back and the boss fetches it, and other jobs he helps me with or now does it himself.

[Gary Anderson]

Russ - thanks for that. Admittedly in a hospital, the main doors are miles away from where the wards/corridors are, however, so far - touch wood - I have managed when we have had fire drills. In any case, mostly the doors automatically "shut" enclosing us wherever we are at the time. Very rarely does a hospital get fully evacuated.

I have been lucky in that the office I use is shared with one other person and things that I require have been moved to lower shelves. From my own situation, it is a lot easier as I am ambulent on sticks. So standing/reaching is not a problem.


Jane - Lucky you - the boss carries the tea! There are a few of us in partitioned offices and - for a bit of a laugh - one of the women brought in a trolley for me. As with 2 sticks I cannot carry anything. Mind you, when I was using a wheelchair, I mastered the art of having a tray balanced across my lap and never once spilled a drop.

It's good to hear the problems/solutions that folks will come up with to make life easier for us.

[Jilly]

In New Zealand ACC will make any necessary modifications to the workplace to enable disabled people access etc when needed...that is if the disability is the result of an accident of course. The trouble with this is you could wait months for the modifications to be made, while the paperwork is being done. This is at no charge to the employer. Also there is assistance available from income support to suppliment the persons wages to encourage the employer. employers still dont seem keen to employ disabled people though...

[mrsE]

ATW helped me with my first job after my accident. I spent quite a few years going to collage and UNI but when I did get a job they helped get a filing cabinet with as much space as the old one but suitable for me to use. They looked t the office space and made suggestions about how it could be changed to suit me so we got a different desk for the computer and a movable drawer unit. We changed the way some of the routine jobs were done and I had a few great years working there. Then we had to move to new premises. At no time was I allowed to visit the new place even though I tried a few times. The toilet for the staff was not suitable so I have to use the patient toilet (not complaining as it is ok), there is no room on the front desk for two computers and a printer and a diary (1M long) and space for patient notes. The space they left as a knee hole is tiny and you have to sit at a very aukward angle to use it at all. There are a lot of things they did not think of when building it and when we tried to change any of it we had a had time trying to convince them. It was brand new, looked good and cost a lot of money. After an OT ?? came to look at the work space they did actually change a couple of things but I still cannot work at the front desk. Now I have to do my work in another area. ATW was not involved with this but they help out with my fare to work. I hope they don't stop.