People with learning disabilities in Scotland face prejudice and barriers to work – study

People with learning disabilities in Scotland are being held back from employment by a lack of understanding from businesses, a study has found.

Researchers said a lack of knowledge is also leading to prejudice against those with learning disabilities.

The study, published by the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute, and funded by the charity Acorns to Trees, said employers wanted to hire people with such disabilities but needed more support to do so.

The research, conducted by consultancy firm Inclusive Recruiting, raised five key themes limiting the employment opportunities of people with learning disabilities.

They include a lack of knowledge; a lack of prioritisation; a lack of intention and knowledge about how to recruit; not knowing where to start; and a perceived cost barrier.

According to the study, while employers were willing to hire people with learning disabilities, human resources and management staff struggled to define a learning disability.

Half of the 28 companies questioned had never discussed how to employ more people with learning disabilities.

The Fraser of Allander Institute said this lack of understanding leads to prejudice, further fuelling barriers to employment.

Chirsty McFadyen, an economist at the Fraser of Allander Institute who leads on its learning disability employment work, said: “The findings from our latest report confirm that employers want to hire people with learning disabilities, but they need more information and support to do so.

“We’ve heard first-hand that people with learning disabilities make great employees when given the right support.

“As the Fraser of Allander has previously identified, there is evidence of what works when the right support is given to someone with a learning disability who is seeking employment, but replicating success at scale is a challenge.”

Of the 23,584 working-age adults with a learning disability known to local authorities across Scotland, only 4.1% were known to be in employment, according to the latest data from 2019.

Among all adults aged 16 to 64, the employment rate was 73.7% between August and June this year.

The Fraser of Allander said employers are often unaware of Government support, such as Access to Work, which helps people with health conditions into employment.

The research found that employers identified several options for improvement, including the creation of learning resources and building networks where employers could learn from each other.

Businesses also reported a willingness to pay for such resources if they became available.