Letter: Budget takes tentative green steps

David Burgess
Thursday 03 July 1997 23:02 BST
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Sir: Gordon Brown's first Budget is to be welcomed for his proposals to help people with disabilities into work. The injection of pounds 200m over five years into training and other support will help open up the world of work to a part of society that has been constantly marginalised. It is a refreshing feeling working for Opportunities, a leading charity in the disability and employment field, to know that the massive contribution that people with disabilities can make to society is being properly recognised.

Opportunities has proved that, by working with people with disabilities and employers on a case-by-case basis, it is possible to find appropriate employment placement - over 3,000 in the last three years. In this way we have been able to overcome the reluctance of many employers to employ people with disabilities and have begun to end their exclusion from society.

We are hopeful that the Government's detailed proposals will not encourage employers to take people with disabilities on short-term employment or training contracts only. This is an issue that often faces our clients today and we will be working to ensure that with help of this initiative it becomes an issue of the past.

DAVID BURGESS

Chief Executive

Opportunities for People with

Disabilities

London EC2

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