BEING part of the Union has restricted Scotland’s ability to close the disability employment gap, a group of SNP activists have claimed.
The party’s Disabled Members Group says Scots with a physical or mental condition have less access to cash than their counterparts south of the Border.
Scotland receives just 6.8% of the UK’s Access to Work budget, despite making up 8.2% of the population.
The fund, which aims to help more disabled people start or stay in work, is vital, providing cash for equipment or for reasonable adjustments in the workplace or for extra travel costs.
Now, the DMG and MP Marion Fellows are asking the SNP conference to back a motion calling for the UK Government to ensure Scotland receives its fair share.
The motion says that an independent Scotland would “be better placed to utilise powers over all social security and employment law” but until that happens they want the UK Government to devolve powers.
The motion has drawn on recommendations from several disability rights groups and the lived experience of activists in the DMG.
READ MORE: Holyrood pledges move away from 'degrading' DWP disability benefit system
Several branches and constituency associations across Scotland have said they will submit the motions, which are the first to be co-sponsored by the recently affiliated DMG.
The group are also hoping to submit a motion calling for Scotland to be “forward-thinking on the issue of access to sustained employment for adults with autism conditions,” calling for the creation of a new accredited autism scheme.
Jamie Szymkowiak, co-convener of the SNP Disabled Members Group, said: “The Disabled Members Group has come a long way since it launched just over four years ago.
“At arguably the SNP’s most accessible conference ever, it’s fantastic to see a willingness from parliamentarians and other members to use the lived experiences of disabled members to help shape party policy. In many ways these conference motions represent where we are as a nation now and where we want to go.
“Our ‘Autism and Employment’ resolution sets out ideas for inclusive employment that could be adopted now and our ‘Independence and Respect for Disabled Workers’ resolution explains how the current devolution settlement isn’t working and why independence is needed to eliminate the stubborn disability employment gap.”
Fellows, who is the SNP disabilities spokesperson at Westminster, said the party needed to make sure disabled people were “at the forefront of all policy decisions".
She added: “This is especially important in our response and recovery to Covid-19. One area that needs attention is closing the disability employment gap. Disabled people must have the opportunities to access and stay in employment, and exercise their independence. We must have a robust plan to ensure disabled workers can be accommodated and respected in a workplace. We can’t rely on words. We need laws mandating ideas like reasonable adjustments and dignified sick pay for all.”
Shona Davidson, who has three children with autism conditions, said the new scheme proposed by the DMG could “change the landscape for our autistic population”.
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