RNIB’s response to the Get Britain Working White Paper on employment

The proposals are part of an official policy document called a White Paper. Many of the plans in the Get Britain Working White Paper are positive, including plans to deliver more personalised employment support through a new national jobs and careers service, and a commitment that accessibility and inclusivity will be at the heart of this new service.

Proposals for new coaching academies to upskill job centre staff are much needed. In our 2021 survey, over 60 per cent of respondents said work coaches did not have good knowledge and understanding of sight loss and the support and adjustments blind and partially sighted people need. We hope the academies will address this and recommend there is specific training on sight loss.

RNIB particularly welcomes the independent review into how employers can be better supported to employ people with disabilities, and to keep us in the workplace. Educating and changing employers' attitudes and understanding is key. 2023 YouGov polling for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment found almost half of surveyed UK employers did not have accessible recruitment processes.

To turn this around, employers should be encouraged by the UK Government to take part in RNIB’s Visibly Better Employer quality standard, so they know how to consistently provide accessible and inclusive workplaces.

RNIB Head of Policy and Campaigns Sophie Dodgeon responded:

“There is much that we can welcome in the proposals that have been set out. We know that many blind and partially sighted people want to work, but face barriers from inaccessible recruitment processes, ill-informed employers, and poor access to assistive technology. It's good to hear that a disability panel will be set up to review the reforms and we’ll be seeking reassurance this will include the voices of people with sight loss.

"However, we know for any of this to succeed for blind and partially sighted people, the ongoing delays with the government’s Access to Work scheme must be tackled. The service is already on its knees, and we anticipate these reforms will only place more demands on the service, so sorting out the scheme must be a top priority.

"We now await an expected UK Government consultation on the benefit system in the spring. We continue to stress that all employment support for disabled people must be voluntary and no one with sight loss should be put at risk of losing their benefits under any new system of employment support.”