North Wales MS Mark Isherwood, who Chairs both the Senedd Cross-Party Autism Group and the Cross-Party Group on Disability, has said the barriers to employment for both Disabled and Autistic people must be removed.
In yesterday’s ‘Urgent Debate: The Impact of the Chancellor's Recent Welfare Reform’, Mr Isherwood said Disabled and Autistic People have told him that they want to work but are being prevented from doing so.
In an intervention on Hefin David MS, he said:
“As you are a fellow member of the Cross-Party Autism Group, who also periodically attends the Cross-Party Group on Disability, will you confirm my statement that we've taken evidence in both those Cross-Party Groups on disability and employment, and that disabled and autistic people are telling us that they want to work, the problem is the barriers to employment and benefits accessibility that they encounter?”
Hefin David confirmed that is the case, stating:
“I've heard learning disabled and autistic people say that, and we've seen that through Engage to Change.”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood, added:
“It is vital that barriers to employment which restrict life choices for disabled and Autistic people are removed so that all can be independent and equal in society. This is something I have been calling for over many years and I will continue to do so.
“As the Scope Report, ‘Enabling work: disabled people, employment and the UK economy’, stated back in 2015: ‘Being in work is about more than just a wage. It is about being independent, interacting with your peers, and being able to achieve your goals and aspirations. But for too many disabled people there are barriers to entering, staying in, and progressing in work. This is not only an issue for the individuals involved, but an issue for society at large. Failure to address the barriers to work that disabled people face is a failure to recognise the contribution that disabled people make and could make to Britain’s economy and society’.”