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Disability Landscape

Why Do We Need to Discuss Reducing Inequalities?

Key Demographic Data

  • 518,000 disabled people (17.8%) live in the WMCA region, higher than the England average of 17.3% (Census 2021).
  • The Family Resource Survey estimates this to be 26.7% (777,000).
  • Only 188,000 WMCA residents receive Personal Independent Payments (PIP), with 20,767 aged 16–24.
  • Most disabled people have multiple impairments.

Demographic and Economic Insights

  • Disability does not discriminate and spans all life aspects, including social mobility, race, gender, age, and circumstances.
  • Disabled individuals are:
    - More likely to live in deprived areas.
    - Nearly 50% of those in poverty live with a disabled person.
    - Require an additional £1,070/month to maintain the same standard of living as non-disabled households.

Economic Costs:

  • Disability costs account for 67% of household income after housing costs (Scope, Disability Price Tag).
  • Businesses in the West Midlands lose significant revenue due to poor accessibility and service quality.

Key Skills Data

  • Only 15.4% of disabled students in the WMCA achieve academic attainment compared to 47.3% for non-disabled students.
  • Disabled students in the region perform worse than the national average for students with SEN (17%).
  • 5.7% of 16–17-year-olds with SEN are NEET (not in education, employment, or training) compared to 1.8% without SEN.

Key Employment Data

  • Disabled people in WMCA face:
    - Lower employment rates than non-disabled individuals.
    - The 2nd largest disability pay gap in England.
    - Disabled women have lower economic activity rates and wages compared to their male counterparts.
  • 817 WMCA-based organisations are Disability Confident certified.

Key Housing Data

  • 79% of West Midlands homes predate accessibility standards.
  • 28% (466,000 homes) cannot meet minimum accessibility standards.
  • An estimated 11,425 wheelchair-accessible properties will be needed by 2040, but only 5,714 are proposed in local plans.
  • Disabled individuals are nearly three times as likely to live in social rented housing.

Key Transport Data

  • 2 out of 3 disabled individuals encounter issues during rail journeys.
  • 87% of TfWM rail stations have step-free access, but over 40% of British rail stations do not.
  • Only 9% of public transport journeys are made by disabled people.

Key Health and Wellbeing Data

  • Disabled individuals in the West Midlands experience:
  • Higher loneliness rates compared to non-disabled individuals and the national average.
  • Reduced disability-free life expectancy at birth (0.3 years for males and 1.5 years for females).
  • 37% worry about losing benefits when being physically active.

Reflections and Recommendations

  • Significant inequalities exist across all life aspects for disabled people.
  • Collaborative regional efforts are essential to address interconnected challenges.

Contact and Resources

  • Contact:
    - Bethany Parkes: Bethany.Parkes@birmingham.gov.uk
    - Eleanor Fry: Eleanor.Fry@birmingham.gov.uk
  • More Information: Birmingham JSNA Deep Dives