A system which is broken and flawed but not beyond repair, is the best way of describing the flawed online application form process, which has stopped people with learning disabilities from getting jobs.

 

This investigation has found the online application makes it difficult for people with learning disabilities to find jobs. However, there could still be a place for the online application form process with a few simple reforms. 

 

Research conducted by the charity Mencap in 2019, found people were falling at the first hurdle of the employment process due to the complexibility of online application forms.

 

The employment rate for people with learning disabilities has not hit 7% since 2012-13. This shows a very slow progression for people with learning disabilities in the new digital age. 

 

Just 6% of people with a known learning disability to their local authority are in employment, as of data which dates back to 2019. This shows a small rise from 5.7% in previous years, but shows that enough is not being done to help people with learning disabilities into work.

 

In Lambeth, it is thought to be at just less than half a percent of people with learning disabilities in paid employment. In some other areas like Hartlepool show an upward trajectory with 20% of people with learning disabilities in paid employment.

 

However Hartlepool has become an isolated case of places that have a high employment rate for people with a learning disability. 

 

Compare that to estimates of 17% of people with learning disabilities being in paid work for the year of 2008 from Emerson and Hatton. This shows a downward spiral which has gradually become  out of control in the past decade. 

 

The economic bank crash in 2008 could have also had a wider impact on why so many people with learning disabilities have ended up without a job. However, 2008 was also around the same time when everything started moving towards going online.  

 

So why have people with learning disabilities been let down so badly by a modern 21st century approach? 

 

The truth is, people with learning disabilities have always struggled with filling out application forms, but now with online application forms, the process has become ten times harder. 

 

Research which was conducted by Mencap also showed 29% of people with a learning disability struggled with filling out the online application forms. 

 

The introduction of time limits and systems not being compatible with supported softwares, has led to cases of people with learning disabilities being timed out and not being able to complete their application without the supported software.

 

Claudetta Jacobs, a graduate, documented her own story of how she struggled to manage the online application process with the Guardian in 2014. Jacobs struggled gaining employment due to her supported software Dragon not being compatible with the online application form, and therefore running out of time. This is just one example of many who have struggled with this part of the process.

 

Richard Todd from the Dyspraxia foundation actually praised the introduction of online application forms, but stressed the importance of the application forms being compatible with certain supported softwares, saying,

 

“Dyspraxia is such a wide ranging condition. Many people are affected in a fine motor way, other people are affected very little in their fine motor skills. So their keyboards skills are good but some find keyboards quite difficult. So voice to text is important if you’re trying to make a good impression by making sure, for example, a paragraph explaining skills is well written and correctly spelt then you want to make sure you’ve got the ability to use the spell checker, grammar checker and the capability to listen to it.” 

 

Todd also spoke of the importance of offering different ways for people with learning disabilities to apply for jobs, 

 

“We need a variety of application processes. For some people it will be easier, for others it will be more difficult. When we got those variety of application processes. We very much need to consider how that communication works well for the individual that will be providing options underneath those varieties. All technology has to be used to bridge the difficulties. Not putting in place barriers which are not reflected in the job, not putting those in place in application processes. Those are processes and practical things that get the first hurdle over that an individual is able to put down what they prefer.” 

 

So for the investigation I decided it would only be fair to test out other companies alternatives. I rang two companies enquiring about a position for a friend who had a learning disability and asked for an alternative way to apply. 

 

Upon contacting Tesco, I found they  were willing to work around the disability and asked for a CV which they could have a look at and put it through to the application process. This is a sign of small progress from a big retailer, but the truth is, they could be doing so much more to support people with learning disabilities and should have an appropriate separate process. 

 

Home Bargains were not willing to put any changes into place until the interview stage. They insisted that the only way you could apply was through online.

They were willing to offer more support if you got through to the interview stage and had to note this within the online application form. The support at the interview stage is a positive step. But what good is it if the person misses out on the job, if they struggle with the online process of the first hurdle?

 

It is this investigation’s conclusion, that this element of the online application form process must be reformed for any business that does not offer an application form which is compatible with this software or alternative way to apply. 

 

Social enterprises are just one way that some people with learning disabilities have found their way into employment. They are schemes which have been set up to help people into employment. People with learning disabilities can receive help with their application to get on these schemes. 

 

Quite often these schemes are for working in places like cafes and charity shops and it offers people vital opportunities to gain experience in a working environment, whilst also providing an income. 

 

Jo Cullum fronts up the social enterprise schemes at the Brandon Trust and talked about the changes she, and her team, had to make to the recruitment process to help people get on the schemes, saying, 

 

“When we look to recruit for our six charity  shop roles we will look at the whole process again and think a bit more creatively about how we do this. It will most likely be a mixture of application details for contact purposes or an alternative application allowing people to record a WhatsApp video explaining their story and why they want the job.”

 

Jo Cullum also spoke about how the new modern online coronavirus world could have a long-term knock on effect in job recruitment processes. 

 

Things like having a pre-interview on a video link was one of the suggestions which could become a normality after things go back to normal following the Coronavirus outbreak. 

This would give companies the opportunity to speak with potential candidates who have a learning disability and gage if they would be suitable for the job before offering an interview. 

 

It could, therefore, stop people’s applications from being straight away dismissed if they stated that they have a learning disability. 

 

This investigation also found that there needs to be more support offered to people with a learning disability while going through this process. 

 

A lot of people with learning disabilities struggle with filling out the online application process due to the time consuming process which it takes to fill one out. This means people who struggle with concentration and staying engaged often lose their attention and stop what they’re doing. 

 

 The majority of people with learning disabilities rely on either a parent or carer to help them through this first hurdle of the process. 

 

Companies should therefore either offer an alternative way to apply or offer more support for people with learning disabilities through the processes. 

 

Gary Bourlet, who himself has a learning disability and is co-founder of Learning Disability UK, spoke about the importance of being able to have more support when applying for jobs and alternative ways of doing so, stating, 

 

“If I wanted to go into a new job, I need the support with the application form and all the stresses and worries that go with it, because I’ve not been in jobs which are local. I’ve been in different parts of the country doing different jobs.” 

 

There has always been a problem for people with a learning disability when it comes to getting employment, but especially within the past ten years, it feels like that problem has accelerated. The employment figures of the last decade shows that this problem has spiralled out of control. 

 

However, this could simply be a case of learning to adapt with what is still a relatively new system in online application forms. If companies can become more open to people with a learning disability and offer more support, then the system may work for everyone. 

 

It is also vital that companies offer those alternative ways to apply for jobs. Tesco’s offering to just take a CV and covering letter is definitely a start, but Home Bargains not offering an alternative shows that other companies have moved online for the foreseeable future.