Disabled people "stuck at home"

Access issues were discussed at the conference

Young disabled people are being turned down for work and are stuck at home because they can't use public transport, according to the Disability Rights Commission.

In a survey of 16 to 24 year olds:

almost half of those questioned said transport problems made it hard for them to take part in the same activities as able bodied people their age.

One in six said they had been turned down for a paid job because of their disability.

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Breakfast talked to Agnes Fletcher, who's assistant director of public affairs for the Disability Rights Commission, and Naomi Lawson, who suffers from manic depression.

Click here to watch our discussion on the disabled's working rights

Agnes Fletcher said:

Despite the work of the Disability Rights Commission there are huge barriers to the integration of people with disabilities. And that's not just the obvious cases of people who use wheelchairs or people with sight impairment. The central problem is really employment - many young disabled people are barred from jobs they could carry out perfectly well, because of their disability. And while that may be illegal it is often very hard to prove. And very often people are paid less than those without disabilities. Another obvious barrier is transport. Naturally if the transport system is difficult for those with disabilities it leads to huge stress, and a disinclination to go out. The stress leads to great drop in the quality of life. And even where transport is accessible staff are so badly trained that they don't know how to help.

Naomi Lawson said:

Everybody with disability has a major problem dealing with work. But in terms of mental health the most troubling thing is other people's attitude to depression. There is huge prejudice - people see you as unreliable or potentially difficult to work with. And despite legislation Naomi says she's been denied work because of her condition. So, Naomi says she not only has to fight her own illness but also people's attitudes to it. Sadly for her the problems aren't confined to work - friends are not always as supportive as they could be when she has episodes of depression. It's something all people with all kinds of disability have to face - attitudes can be as damaging and prohibitive as the obvious physical barriers to leading the life most people take for granted.

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