If you became disabled would your employer support you to carry on working?

12.00.00am GMT Wed 23rd Jan 2008

With the phone ringing, Roger Lewis, now registered blind, had reached the last 10 minutes of a period of notice from his employer. He was about to lose the job he had been doing for 20 years as a rehabilitation worker.

Gradually losing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa, Roger Lewis 45, is a Local Government Officer from London. His employer, a Local Government Social Services Department, appeared unwilling to work positively with him in helping him to keep his job.

Roger was about to join around 1,000 blind and partially sighted people who lose their job each year, joining the 56,000 blind and partially sighted people of working age who remain unemployed (an unemployment rate of two thirds amongst this group).

Today at a reception in parliament Annette Brooke MP met Mr Lewis and discussed with him the problems he faced in keeping his job. Mr Lewis and others are calling for policy improvements to ensure that people who become disabled whilst in work don't lose their employment and move on to benefits.

"I answered the phone knowing I had ten minutes left before I lost the job that I had been doing for 20 years" said Mr Lewis. "I heard, through the intervention of my Trade Union that my employer had granted a short extension to a period of notice. This proved to be the beginning of the end of a 4-year struggle to keep my job. 4 years of distress, depression, chaos and pressure, to demonstrate, despite being blind, I was still capable of doing my job."

"Following three months away from work to retrain in using specialist computer software for blind people, I'm now enjoying being back at work doing what I do best. I'm supporting disabled, visually impaired, elderly people and people with mental health problems with their rehabilitation needs. I've fought hard to keep my job. Retaining your job when you lose your sight shouldn't come to this. Employers and employees should be talking not fighting to find a solution."

Annette Brooke MP said "I am concerned that despite recent anti-discrimination legislation, hard working people like Roger Lewis are at risk of losing their employment because they are not getting the support and flexibility they need from their employer to help them in adapting to their disability and remain in work. For these reasons I am supporting Roger and the organisations he is working with in their call for strengthened and clearer rights to assessment and support for disabled people at risk of losing their employment."

Annette Brooke MP continued "I am pleased to support a House of Commons motion stating that greater awareness is needed amongst employers regarding their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act and making adjustments to ensure access for disabled people. It also welcomes measures contained in the Employment Retention Bill (3) to ensure that people who experience ill-health or disability whilst in work are supported to retain their employment whenever possible."