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Wednesday, 4 September, 2002, 23:36 GMT 00:36 UK
Drive to end 'disabled' workplace views
Poster showing disabled children dressed as bankers and store managers alongside the slogan
The posters say: "Don't feel like going to work? We do!"
A drive to improve workplace atttitudes towards disability has been launched with an online survey and a poster campaign featuring children with disabilities.

The short-term aim of the campaign, launched by the charity Scope, is to ask employers, employees and disabled people to reveal their personal experiences.

Posters showing disabled children dressed as bankers and store managers alongside the slogan "Don't feel like going to work? We do!" will be placed on 1,550 sites donated by London Underground.

There are 6.9 million disabled people of working age in Britain - one out of every five.

Working with disability
3.3 million disabled people in jobs - 12% of working population
13.8% of disabled people receive in-work benefits compared with 18.8% of the able-bodied
On average disabled people in jobs for longer than able-bodied
2.9 million disabled people out of work and on benefits
Employment rates are lowest for people with mental illness and learning disabilities

But they are five times more likely to be unemployed.

And Scope believes many employers would be happy to recruit some of the three million who are out of work.

The poster campaign is aimed at encouraging as many people as possible to fill-out an online survey.

Campaigns manager Ruth Scott said the five-minute confidential questionnaire would "identify and overcome barriers that prevent disabled people finding work".

Scope spokeswoman Sonya Roberts added: "Other disability charities have an image of the issues they want to raise - but they may not be as important to people in the outside world.

So we thought, 'Let's go back out there and make sure we are adressing the key issues'.

"Our role is to educate - but also to learn.

"Most people aren't nasty.

"They do not want to be prejudiced.

"It is just ignorance and fear.

"And we want to find out what people's fears are."

For paper, braille, tape or large print copies of the survey contact Ruth Scott on 020 7619 7245 or BT TextDirect 1800 020 7619 7245.

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