Ability to work and work itself are very much social constructs that vary
according to the local economy and according to what the demands of the most
available kind of work are, they cannot be sorted by a simple test.
Of course in a previos era, the unemployed were told to get on there bike,
if local employment was not available.
Should those who cannot find work because the society deems them surplus be
left to starve as Keith Joseph would have liked?
Does not the whole of society owe some duty to spread the burden of welfare
through taxes or social pressure upon employers?
I suppose ultimatly if one cannot work, and if society has no values to hold
together such a mass of discontent, then one has a legitimate right to
steal, particular from those who hold obnoxios opinions about the
"underserving poor" :)
Hobbes and the war of all against all !
Disability being the social construct that it is, is the ultimate barrier to
employment, because it is not a matter of physical or mental incapacity,
being prepared or trained for work, because if one holds down a job, and has
access to the full fruits of ones labour then one is not disabled is one.
Inequalities cross lines of what the society usually defines or sees as
disability so that for instance Richard Branson, having made it up the
ladder need not worry about his self confessed dyslexia, but how tolerant
is his organisation to others on whom society requires a greater degree of
literacy.
Larry
> -----Original Message-----
> From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
> [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Curry, Paul
> Sent: 19 July 2006 11:23
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: VERY URGENT:- WELFARE REFORMS THAT WILL IMPACT ON ALL
> DISABLED PEOPLE IN UK!!!
>
>
> can I ask a couple of questions to help me understand this i
> Hi,
>
> can I ask a couple of questions to help me understand this issue:
>
> What is the current estimate of the number of disabled people in
> the UK who are not capable of work? By that I mean any work at
> all not just full time work or work similar to what they used to
> do if they've acquired a disability? If that is known then there
> must be some kind of protection built in for those and the
> reforms should look at what support is needed to enable those who
> are able to work to some degree to do so without detriment? I'm
> working on there not being an assumption that just because
> someone is disabled there is the expectation that they won't have
> to work just because they don't want to and then expect to get
> higher levels of benefits than non-disabled people who choose not to work.
>
> Also whilst I understand the argument that as there's not jobs
> and/or discrimination by some employers, when does that become
> the reason that someone gets protected benefits? If a
> non-disabled person was to say that the type of job that they can
> do doesn't exist anymore or that they can't do a particular job
> should they expect to get protected benefits or would they be
> expected to Sign On and look for alternatives with support to
> identify what they can do?
>
> OK that's more than a couple of questions.
>
> Thanks
>
> Paul
>
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