Equality within my Borough (Part 2)

What are you views on discrimination within the London Borough of Sutton?

There are many different strands of equality and as a disabled person living within London Borough of Sutton I feel that the approach to equality in the borough is not always very equal.

With regard to race discrimination, the London Borough of Sutton has historically been a “white” area i.e. approximately 87% of the boroughs population is “White British” as opposed to 50% in some of the other London Boroughs.

In relation to “Sex Discrimination”, I do not believe there is a major issue with discrimination within Sutton and I am aware of any initiatives and schemes aimed at gender issues particularly relating to the number of women’s groups etc in all areas of the community.

Obviously disability is very personal to me and it was not until the beginning of the 21st Century that I began to feel that discriminatory barriers were being removed within the borough. At this time, disability appeared fairly high on people’s agendas and disability issues began to be taken more seriously. Unfortunately, I do now feel that after this initial appreciation of the issues it has somewhat abated and is not being treated as importantly as race and sex discrimination within the Borough.

I do not believe that there are that many experiences of discrimination within the Borough in relation to other equality strands such as Age, Sexual Orientation, Religion and Transgender.

The Jobs Assistant

From my own personal experiences, I know just how difficult it can be for disabled people to secure meaningful employment. Unfortunately there is a long held myth that disabled people cannot or do not wish to work. In truth it is the exact opposite – many disabled people can and do wish to work. Unfortunately finding meaningful employment within mainstream society can prove extremely frustrating.

I see two main barriers for employment opportunities:- know-how and attitude. Let me explain......

Know-how – Many disabled people do not know where to source employment opportunities and many of the traditional methods such as Job Centres and Employment Agencies do not have the know-how to support them fully in their quest for employment. Now don’t get me wrong, I am sure these organisations do try to help but they do not understand how to provide the correct support and in many cases disabled people are merely encouraged to contact one of the many disability organisations for assistance. In turn, these organisations are inundated with potential candidates and their resources are stretched to the limits.

Attitude – As I have already stated, there is a long held myth concerning disabled people and employment and this misguided myth is, to this day, the main barrier for disabled people seeking employment. In addition, many potential employers are misguided in their attitudes as to what is involved in employing disabled people. Many see a disabled applicant and their first thoughts run along the lines of “we are going to have to make changes – how much is that going to cost the company” or “that person has a disability, so will probably need a lot of time off for sickness”. There is a need within the UK to re-educate employers. Whilst some changes may be necessary, it does not mean that there is a financial implication – it may just mean adapting the work patterns i.e. allowing flexible working hours etc and if there are financial implications, there may well be grants available that can assist with this. As for sickness, there is strong evidence to show that disabled people tend to take less sickness than non-disabled colleagues!

My company employs a number of disabled professionals and it was with this in mind that I began to consider what real opportunities there were for others seeking employment. Unfortunately, with all the best will in the world I cannot employ everyone! After careful consideration an idea formulated in my mind - why not set up an employment agency for disabled people. The idea took on a life of its own and in a very short timescale, I was able to set up a social enterprise called The Jobs Assistant which had a very successful launch in January 2010.

Since its launch The Jobs Assistant team have been busy putting in place the mechanisms that, I hope, will ensure its success. Contacts have been made with both applicants, partners and potential employers and we are still working steadily through these. The team are now entering the second phase of its launch – creating a strong presence in the marketplace.

To this end, I am delighted that The Jobs Assistant will be taking part in the Routes to Work event taking place on Tuesday 23rd March 2010 at the Europa Gallery, Sutton Central Library, St. Nicholas Way, Sutton, Surrey SM1 1EA.

This event will provide an opportunity for The Jobs Assistant to strengthen its presence in the marketplace, publicise our services and generally meet valuable contacts.

The Jobs Assistant team would welcome the opportunity to meet with you if you are planning to attend this event.