SHEN Conference 27 March 2012  Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living  Employment and Housing Solutions  Kelly Coote & Karen Anne Doherty

What we will cover

• GCIL - Who we are and what we do • Introduction to models of disability

• Barriers to housing

• Barriers to employment

• Interactive discussion

By the end of the workshop, you will:

• Know who GCIL are and what we do;

• Be aware of the different models of disability;

• Understand the barriers disabled people face in accessing employment and accessible housing.

GCIL – who we are and what we do

• The largest user led organisation of disabled people in Scotland

• Inclusive living service

• Payroll service

• Training service

• Accessible housing service

• Employment support and training

Principles of the independent living movement

• That all human life is of value

• Everyone is capable of making choices

• Right to assert control over their own lives

• Disabled people have the right to participate fully in society

INDIVIDUAL MODEL

Responses in Society to a person’s medical condition

Impairment = Disability

Charities

Sheltered housing

SocialWorkDept.

Hospitals

Physio’s

Special Schools

Special Transport

Benefits Agency

O.T.’s

G.P.’s

Grant Carson - Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (1999)

Visual impairment

Arthritis

A.I.D.S

Learning difficulty

Stroke

M.E.Spina Bifida

Mental illness

Hearing impairment

ParaplegicMultiple Sclerosis

Cerebral Palsy

Dyslexia

Sheltered employment

Day centres

Person

INDIVIDUAL MODELImpairment = Disability

Grant Carson - Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (1999)

Dehumanises

Isolates Static

Disempowers

DepersonalisesSegregates

Person(ill)

SOCIAL MODEL

It is the Barriers present in society that really disable people

Barriers = DisabilityCharities: Offensive images of Disabled People

Lack of anti-discriminationlegislation

Lack of Access

Isolation/Segregation

Social Myth’s

Lack of education

Prejudice

Adapted housing “Ghettoism”

Attitudes

Language

Lack of financial independence

Over-protectivefamilies

Lack of employment

Fear / ignorance

Labelling

Grant Carson - Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (1999)

Person

SOCIAL MODELBarriers = Disability

Grant Carson - Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living (1999)

Identifies barriers

Suggests solutions

Seeks allies Offers hope

Person

Language

• Disabled people • Non disabled people • Wheelchair user • Access requirements • People with ‘learning disabilities’• Blind person/visually impaired person • Deaf person/hearing impaired person

Housing – what are the barriers?

• Limited availability of accessible or adapted housing

• Complex and fragmented service with limited availability of expert advice and advocacy

•Past investment in accessible/adapted housing could be better recorded/managed

Housing – what are the barriers...continued?

• Long delays for adaptations and support

• Shortage of funds for improvements and support

• Lack of flexibility and choice

• Too little information on options and lack of awareness of need

• Lack of opportunities to move between areas – creating geographical ghettos

Housing – managing a scarce resource ?

Fully wheelchair accessible

528 1.1%

Barrier free 1667 3.4%

Some adaptations

2310 4.8%

Sheltered (inc FW and BF)

2532 5.3%

Very sheltered 206 0.4%

No adaptations 40,874 85%

GCIL gathered information from 80 landlords, covering

over 48,117 properties in & around Glasgow ?

Housing – solutions

• Supply – build more accessible housing across tenures – example Glasgow city council clause in city plan for 10 per cent of accessible housing in 20 or more units.

• Housing management – be able to match accessible housing to need. – Example: Scottish Accessible Housing Register will be rolled out, known as “Homes2Fit”

• Adaptations – need to be better resourced and provided

Housing – what we do

• Provide support, information and advice to disabled people and their families, and agencies involved in housing or supporting disabled people.

• Provide information on housing options

• Assist people to apply for social housing, buy their own house, or make adaptations.

Housing – what we do continued...

• Signpost and refer people to suitable agencies

• Manage the Scottish Accessible Housing Register, SAHR) known as Home2Fit.

Employment

GCIL – running successful employment programmes for disabled people since 2001.

• Over 150 participants.• Transition into further employment 61 per cent.• Transition into further education 12.1 per cent. • Total positive outcome rate = 80.2 per cent.

Employment programme to date

• Has worked with over 500 people since 2001.

• Open Door programme – based on traditional ILM model, but using supported permitted work to support people in the transition to employment

• 10 per cent of applicants identified as graduates.

• Professional Careers programme – supporting disabled graduates into full time sustainable careers.

Employment service in context

• 1 million disabled people in Scotland

• 20 per cent of working age population

• Disabled people are at least twice as likely to be unemployed (some groups 4 times as likely).

• Disabled people are twice as likely to have no qualification.

Barriers to Employment

• The benefits trap

• Stereotypes and false assumptions

• Lack of education and experience

• Inaccessible recruitment process

• Physical accessibility of premises.

• Getting to work and

• Inflexible working practice

Professional Careers and Open Door

“”positive action programmes designed to address the under-representation and inequalities of disabled people in employment”

Trainee benefits

• Salary

• Genuine work experience (50 weeks or 30 months)

• Access facilitation and support

• Ongoing reviews and structured mentoring

• Personal development

• Peer support

• Access to further or higher education

• Support into further employment

Benefits to employers

• Access to a pool of talented, motivated and committed individuals

• Disability equality training

• Access audit

• Ongoing support from GCIL to minimise the impact of the placement on employers resources

• Partnership working with GCIL

• The opportunity to address the under-representation of disabled people in the workforce

Case study – Allan Barr 33

• Graduated from Glasgow University in 1998

• Never been in paid employment until joining GCIL.

• ‘lived in bedroom of parents house’

• Didn’t access services, recreation or employment.

• Now on Professional Careers, working with TPAS, gained post grad diploma in Housing and working towards MPhil.

• Has his own flat and care package.

• Uses access to work to fund his travel to & from work