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In the UK, disabled people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed (6.9%) as non-disabled people (3.6%). In Scotland, people with mental illnesses and learning difficulties are now the largest proportion of the disabled population, with over 35% of disabled people claiming mental health issues as their main disability. Despite positive policy and action focusing on public mental health, equality and human rights, people who have mental health problems continue to experience poorer employment outcomes (Cummins, 2023; Deloitte, 2024; Lagunes Cordoba, 2023).
Research by See Me (The Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study, 2022) identified stigma in employment as a major concern to those living with mental health…