Congress Welcomes New Disability Strategy Launch
13 Jul 2006
Plenty of jobs - Unless you're disabled!
Congress today (July 13) warmly welcomed the launch of the National Disability Authority's Strategy of Engagement - Towards a Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities.
Congress believes that the strategy, which makes for a serious and sobering read, should act as a wake-up call for all involved in this issue.
In short, it is time for an end both to the excuses and the barriers that hamper people with disabilities; it is time for a serious engagement between government, employers, unions and people with disabilities, to fashion and implement a comprehensive new Employment Strategy.
In particular, Congress believes there is a need to focus on three key priorities:
Firstly, Congress urges the State to take a central role and make greater efforts to raise the level of education and training among people with disabilities. While investment in special needs in Primary Schools is improving rapidly....secondary schools must get equivalent funding so that disabled students remain in school. FAS and other agencies must make greater efforts to train people for work, particularly as successive budgets show a consistent underspend in respect of people with disabilities.
Secondly, Congress urges a much better response from the Public Service and Private Sector to make greater efforts to achieve the 3% employment target in the Public Service, establish recruitment targets for the Private Sector in an environment where job vacancies are the norm and, adequately support people in Sheltered Workshops, replacing the system of payment of benefits (to which people are entitled) with proper pay and conditions of employment and proper support to offset the cost of disability
Finally, Congress urges an end to interminable debate about the Hobson's Choice faced by most people with disabilities, where they are required to give up medical cards and other essential social supports, if they take up any form of employment, even part-time.
ends