Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address discrimination towards deafblind people and those with complex needs in the workplace, and how they will ensure that employers make essential adjustments needed by deafblind people to perform their roles successfully.
Answered by Lord Freud
‘Improving Lives the Work, Health and Disability Green Paper’ has been published. This marks the start of a wide ranging exploration into options for long-term reform across different sectors, targeting factors which contribute to the disability employment gap. We are engaging with a range of stakeholders, including organisations such as Sense, that represents the needs of deafblind people, during a consultation period that will run until 17 February 2017.
The Government wants all disabled people and people with a long term health condition to have the opportunity to work and share in the economic and health benefits that work brings.
Section 20 of the Equality Act 2010 requires employers and providers of services to members of the public to make ‘reasonable adjustments’, so that disabled people are not placed at a “substantial disadvantage” compared to non-disabled people.
The Access to Work scheme provides a dedicated service to particular groups, including those with complex needs, going beyond employers’ statutory obligations to make reasonable adjustments.