The Problems of Disability and Jobs
oakridge
Posts: 83
The Government has announced this new initiative to help the disabled and long term sick back into work, but their is the opposite problem of employers being unwilling or frightened of employing such people. It is not a new problem. In the late 70s I was doing online searches at ESA Frascati in Rome and at Berkeley University in California for the research staff where I worked. This was at the dramatic speed of 180 baud and using a teletype machine, not a monitor. The connection time was $90 per minute - a 'Barnsley Warcry' sum then. I discovered that Sheffield City Libraries had a connection also and they had a MONITOR and operated at 300 baud. A deal was done where I did a search for them and my searches were free. The librarian badly wanted me to go and work for them and this was acceptable to my present employer. Deal done - no. I had to go for a medical and their doctor wanted a letter from my doctor to say that my sight would not get worse. That clearly could not happen, I didn't move jobs and no-one was happy. After the steel strike redundancies came along and I took voluntary and concentrated on IT and gardening and nobody was happy ever after.
Last edited: 01 November 2016 09:26:24
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On my way home from school, the second bus stop, the people who worked at REMPLOY in Mansfield got on. They all had a job and some dignity, even if it was subsidised. A lot of them were injured in the war, and had bits missing. I know of a man, who worked in a factory all his life, sweeping the floor and doing basic tasks. George was only capable of doing simple tasks, and only following one instruction at a time. However he always wanted to be busy. He was paid less than the skilled workforce, but living with his brother , it was better than income support. After he retired and his brother died, he had to go into an old peoples sheltered housing, but he still needed to work. The warden used to send him up to us for one thing, we used to tell him to take it back to Wendy. Then Wendy would send him to another shop for one thing, and they would instruct him to go back. Now with minimum wage, a factory cannot employ someone to do half a skilled persons job and pay them full rate. So people like George sit at home with the telly getting bored, living on income support.
I see this from both points of view. A disabled person wants a job, reasonable adjustments need to be made by the employer. But from an employers point of view, if they can only do half a job, or it is going to cost huge amounts for "reasonable adjustments", with all the will in the world, they cannot afford to employ a disabled person.
For instance, many places I work could employ someone in a wheelchair on the till. But they could not use the toilets, which are up a flight of stairs, in a Victorian building. How much to put a lift in, and is it even possible? New builds are better, they all seem to have a wheelchair friendly toilet on the ground floor.
Baud, not sure what it stands for but 1000 baud = 1MbS. Our current internet averages at 30MbS.
Having failed to become a teacher I started at Park Gate Iron and Steel in 1966 where there was a job for everyone whatever there ability. It did wonders for self-esteem. Ironically I taught horticulture to redundant steelworkers amongst others in the late 80s. Now I pale at the thought of how little I really knew, but they passed the exams though.
Remploy really was a great organisation. A friend from school worked for them as they were closing down, it was a bad time.
I agree that disability access is a major problem in the workplace. It just isn't possible to make everything accessible. People do try, but sometimes completely miss the target. Another friend from my schooldays is now completely blind and we do have a laugh when there is a sign in braille but the blind person has no idea where it is.
How long do you want me to ramble on for?
I'm bored with baud too.
Christine caught glandular fever off one of the little angels in her class in the 70s and her hearing has got progressively worse ever since. In 1996 she had to give up teaching because it was becoming potentially dangerous in the classroom. Now most of the time we make a good team - she sees things and I hear things. One thing which has become clear is that it is much worse if a sense is lost later in life. Because my sight has changed very little over the years I have learned all sorts of tricks but it is much harder for Christine. I never had any sense.
You are clearly not far from us. We were brung up in 'Mucky Mexborough'.
When he was born my Dad had normal sight. When I was born he had about 25% sight in one eye, none in the other. By the time I was 20, Dad was totally blind. He was a physiotherapist - a very good one. His first boss was a kind man who appreciated Dad's skill, his last boss was a bitter man who resented Dad's reputation. Dad asked no concessions and got none from either man but the difference in attitude of the two made a vast difference to Dad's day to day existence. These days people talk about it more, but I suspect the reality has changed little. It all depends on the prejudices and attitude of people. The changes in the law make it easier for someone treated unfairly to complain, but no easier for them to get or keep a job.
Last edited: 01 November 2016 15:14:41
“It's still magic even if you know how it's done.”
The demise of REMPLOY has left a problem. There are a number of people as Fidgetbones described who want a job but could not really be regarded as ever likely to fit into any employment as an ordinary worker could do because they are just not efficient.
The father of a young man with Downs syndrome was complaining about this when new regulations came in. He was quite clear that his son just would not cope with a proper job in such an environment but could do some useful repetetive tasks for a limited time.
The benefit system and employment law lets the national minimum wage get in the way of giving this group of people a chance to feel they are being useful and get some self esteem .
Someone needs to get with some blue skies thinking about how they could make this work for people whose disabilties do not really fit today's employment style.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
Thats why the REMPLOY factory was good. In a normal working environment, someone needing a job with no stress of deadlines and rate of work required could get on with it. Yes they were subsidised, but so are non working people on disability benefits.
I did get help from the Aid to Employment scheme which paid for a CCTV magnifier in the 70s. I was in the first 10 in the country to get one with great thanks to Janet deSilva at Moorfields Eye Hospital, my old headmaster and my boss at work who pushed very hard on my behalf.
The problem with Government Schemes is that they are 'one size fits all' and it is about time that they noticed that. When I left Teacher Training College and was signing on at the Labour Exchange they were quite happy for me to carry on doing that - probably for the rest of my life. Another great help appeared in the form of my Uncle who was Chief Engineer at a Sheffield steelworks who pulled strings with his friends and got me the job at Park Gate.
What I am saying really is that I have been incredibly lucky with just the right person appearing at the right time. When I left the steel industry we were at Rotherham Show and there was this chap smoking his pipe looking bored who turned out to be the head of Ag. and Hort. at a local FE College. I did some courses and he set me on teaching. Not everyone has my luck but everyone deserves it.
I'm afraid that we are ruled by the notion that "if you can't count it - it doesn't count". Which I take to be interpreted thus: A person of limited ability could be given meaningful employment at what would be classified as less than 100% capacity. In return, they would not need to be in receipt of benefits/extra care etc. But the self-esteem that they would get from having a job, let alone the notional savings in their not being forced into total dependency, cannot be written in an accountant's ledger. Thus it cannot be counted. Thus it is deemed not to count ie is deemed to be worthless.
What a sad society that has allowed us to be ruled by figures in a ledger, rather than an understanding of the human condition. No patronising is necessary to understand that some paid employment, even below the minimum (now "living") wage is better for society as a whole and the health and well-being of many an individual whose challenges of life deserve so much better
Growing up in North London, the local street market stall-holders employed sweeper-uppers, gofers and barkers. None had what could be called full mental and/or physical capacity. But they were employed. They were given the dignity of employment.
Shrinking Violet I had never heard that phrase before but it is so true. Near to RHS Harlow Carr there is a plant nursery which employs people with learning disabilities. It does exactly what we have been talking about it gives the people pride in themselves. We were foster parents in the 90s and the last youngsters we had were teenage girls with learning difficulties. We had the livestock then and they would come home from school get changed and come out with me to help feed the pigs etc. even in the Winter. We did not give up fostering because of the children but because of the Social Workers who were frightened of their own shadow. One actually told me that I should not be alone with the girls - they didn't think of that when we took them on. I took no notice of course.
Here are the girls chatting to the boar.
Lovely picture Oakridge. And you have just added another dimension to my "accounts only count" mentality that seems to reign supreme: there are good people out there who are willing and able to provide meaningful help to those who need a helping hand in life. The withdrawal of your (and others) support cannot be quantified in financial terms alone.
Shame.