, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
I think we've run out of time, so I think we're going to have to send you the last two questions, and we're very happy if there's anything further you want to add, but we're not going to get the next contributors in before we literally lose the committee…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Who wants to go first? I think Isabel.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
[Inaudible.]—because I want Sioned Williams to ask some questions. So, Sioned, please ask what you are able to in the last five minutes.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Thank you. I now want to hand over—. Could somebody unmute me? I don't think I can be heard. I would now like to hand over to Joel James.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Very good. I'm now going to hand over to Jane Dodds.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
What do you think it would take for more public sector employers to understand the value of disabled employees, as opposed to the opposite, which is often the case at the moment?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Okay. Clearly, it's a major issue if there are no trade unions in a particular business. Just going back to FTWW, you found that third sector employers had been responsive to the needs of disabled people, and, Dee, you mentioned that—obviously, you quite…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Okay. And did you have a trade union in that employment?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Very good. Just sticking with disability and employment—I appreciate what you're saying, Dee, but I wonder if I can come back to Angharad. So, I think either Dee or Isabel mentioned that employer attitudes to disability are a key barrier, and there's an…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Okay. So, clearly, a lot more work needs doing to promote the social model of disability, as so many of the individuals who took part in your survey had never heard of it. Some witnesses we heard from earlier have called for the Welsh Government to explore a…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Okay. This is very complicated. Just going back to the FTWW survey, how do you think we could enable more people to disclose their disability so that there was an honest and open co-produced conversation about what contribution an individual can make to that…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Okay. Now, in your particular situation, it would be very difficult for you not to disclose when you'd come to interview because, as you say, you're registered blind and you use a guide dog. So, what action do you think is needed for somebody like you to be…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Angharad wanted to come in, so I'll come back to you. Angharad.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
This is a very complicated area, though, isn't it, because if the employer doesn't know about the disability, it's quite difficult for them to understand why their employee isn't able to come to work on a particular day or at a particular time, and there may…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Okay. Isabel, did you want to add anything, or should I go on to ask a further question?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Yes, and then I'll go to Isabel.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Isabel, is there anything you wanted to add?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Shall we come to Angharad first?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Dee, do you want to go first?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Thank you for summarising the situation so clearly. I am now going to hand over to Mick Antoniw, who's going to ask you some questions.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Thank you for sharing that. Isabel, is there anything you want to add to what's been said?
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Thank you for that.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
Very good. Okay. Angharad, is this a good moment to bring you in? Thank you.
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 12
I'm very pleased to welcome our next witnesses, who are Angharad Dean, who has lived experience of being disabled in the workplace, and Dee Montague-Coast and Isabel Linton from Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales. All three of you are very welcome. I'm…
, Equality and Social Justice Committee
Disability and employment: evidence session 11
So, five minutes. I wonder if you can all be back before 14:39, please.
