Welfare cuts worry workers with learning difficulties
BBCAn autistic man who has been supported to find work said he would struggle to cope without Universal Credit (UC) welfare payments.
George Burt, 32, from Essex, is worried he will be affected by government plans to reduce benefits by tightening the criteria for disability payments.
He works 12 hours a week in a supermarket and hopes eventually to do more.
UC currently tops up his income but he is concerned he could lose the payments with the government's reforms.
"It's really important. I just don't know what I would do without it," he said.
The proposed changes mean people with the least severe conditions are unlikely to qualify, including those with learning disabilities.
More details about the reforms are expected on Wednesday in the Spring Statement.
George was helped into work by Essex Cares (ECL), an arm of the county council that focuses on people with learning difficulties.
He spent most of his 20s at home. "At the time I wasn't really interested in getting a job. Like any kid, I just wanted to sit around and do nothing, really," he said.
Then two-and-a-half years ago, he began working at the Co-op supermarket in Manningtree.
He said: "As I got older and more mature, I just decided I really wanted to get a job and eventually move out into my own house."
Since 2020, ECL has supported more than 500 people like George to find work.
Work coach Beth Durling, who helped him with his application, attends job interviews and gives them "small prompts, if necessary".
"It can be quite anxiety-provoking because it is a change in their routine. It's the unknown, and we can be there for them," she said.
Ms Durling also explained there could be challenges with employers.
She said: "We are still trying to break down the barriers and misconceptions around people with autism and learning disabilities."
Head of inclusive employment Andrea Smith agreed, but also said families sometimes worried about a relative starting work.
She said: "If a family has had to fight for extra support for their loved one and suddenly we are saying, 'No, they can go out to work and become independent,' that's quite a fear factor as well."
Ms Smith thinks more adults with learning difficulties will end up taking up work due to the welfare proposals.
"I think there will be some people who have that ambition but have never had that opportunity," she said.
Melanie Bunker, 26, started volunteering at a community cafe in Harwich.
She is autistic and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder along with severe learning difficulties and anxiety.
Like George, she previously spent most of her life at home, which she described as "boring".
Her mum Catherine said Melanie's life had changed and she was no longer a recluse, but it had been a challenge to get her working.
"It's really, really hard work to get her outside. She would go in the garden or to her nan's, but to go shopping or to visit people, she wasn't interested," said Catherine.
The family said paid employment would not be an option for Melanie at the moment.
She receives £700 per month as a Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which her mum also receives as she was born with one arm.
Catherine is worried they could both lose the support.
"It just feels like the government wants to penalise disabled people. It's more of a concern for Melanie because she is starting her life," she said.
The government says it wants to ease people's fears about losing benefits if they take a job that does not work out.
Ministers say they will introduce legislation "as soon as possible" to guarantee that attempting work will not lead to an automatic PIP or work capability reassessment.
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