Council must do all it can to save jobs for disabled

I AM writing with respect to the plight of the 47 disabled adults at Fenton workshop which has been highlighted for closure in March 2009.

My son is one of the unfortunate employees. For Christopher, employment is important in helping him lead an independent life. It has enabled him to develop stronger social networks, attain a sense of self-worth and avoid the poverty trap associated with a life on benefits and this is applicable to every other employee at this factory.

Do the local council think that being on benefits is the better option for these people and that losing a job will have no impact? Adults with learning disabilities and/or sensory problems tend to be socially and economically marginalised and those who want to work should be given the opportunity to do so.

The local authority clearly has a role both in helping disabled people towards employment and ensuring they are helped to cope and live as full a life as is possible.

Local authorities should put much more energy into saving the workshops and further developing employment opportunities for people with disabilities. There is a scarcity of supported employment services and immense difficulties will be encountered by these adults in accessing support.

It is miserly to close down the workshops just for these hardworking people to spend the rest of their lives in day centres at a considerable cost to the local authority.

What will happen next - closure of day centres? These are the stepping stones for more able adults to access education and training with the ultimate goal being employment.

These workers do not know what is going on. They have had bits of information relayed to them in a Chinese whisper kind of way.

Surely it's not too much to ask that the council's consultations are as open as possible so that these hardworking individuals do not end up on the scrap heap. Has anyone been made aware of their wishes and thoughts?

Could someone please respond and make us aware of the outcome of the consultations every step of the way.

What is being done to redeploy the employees? Where is the support? Any information that is made available should be conveyed in a way that all people affected are able to understand.

March will soon be upon us. My son is getting more anxious every day and it is not within my power to allay his fears.

SANDRA CURRIE

Newcastle