Maria McCabe is a 26 year old who just wants a job

She's always working because she loves to be busy but she's never had a proper job. Just employment scheme followed by employment scheme since leaving college. Sadly this story is not unique.

Employment and Disability: The Facts

31% of working age people with a disability were at work compared to 71% of those without a disability.¹

People with disabilities are twice as likely to be outside the labour force.²

Too many workers leave the labour market permanently due to health problems or disability, and too few people with reduced work capacity manage to stay in employment.³

Currently, there are over a quarter of a million people with disabilities getting a social welfare illness or disability payment in Ireland. Almost half are receiving Disability Allowance.⁴

Training and Education

People with disabilities leave education earlier and are less likely to have finished primary, secondary, and third-level education.⁵

Workplace Grants and Employment Schemes for People with Disabilities

The government runs a number of schemes to encourage people with disabilities into work and incentivise employers to hire people with disabilities. These are programs such as the;

• Wage Subsidy Scheme
• Employment Retention Grant Scheme
• Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant

Attitudes to Employment

People with disabilities would like to take up work but are often afraid to do so because of the loss of benefits such as medical cards or transport supports.⁶

43% of people on Disability Allowance would like to work, given the right supports.⁷

Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities

In 2015, Government launched a national ten-year strategy to increase the number of people with disabilities in employment. It targets a 15% increase in employment of people with disabilities from 2011 to 2024.⁸