'Give me a chance': Man's desperate plea after 20-year hunt for a job
The man furiously took aim at Jeremy Hunt and the Conservative Party, saying all they care about is "helping rich people".
A man with multiple disabilities who has not been given a job despite 20 years of applications has called for disabled people to be given more of a chance amid claims of discrimination.
Shahzad Bokhari, 48, from Highgate in Birmingham, has applied relentlessly but has been forced to spend his time in voluntary positions instead.
Bokhari himself has two genetic disorders. One, called Retinitis Pigmentosa, causes blindness, while the other, Bardet-Biedl syndrome (affecting 1 in 100,000 in the UK) causes obesity, vision loss and kidney failure, meaning he needs dialysis.
He thinks he has been discriminated against multiple times, given his office administration skills that he learnt at Queen Elizabeth College don’t seem to get him anywhere, Birmingham Live reports.
He says he usually gets a rejection before an interview is offered, although recalls one interview where he felt as if “they didn’t listen to my side of things”.
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He has no choice but to live with his elderly parents while he receives Personal Independent Payment.
Bokhari also feels job centres need more disability awareness training, adding: “Some work coaches are good and some not, one thing I noticed is they are always impatient with me. One coach said 'my time is money'.
"My hope for the future is I just want an employer to give me a chance.
"I have been job searching for over 20 years now and I think the interview process needs to change. They are stuck in the past and need to come to the 21st century."
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Bokhari also criticised Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s “arrogant and out of touch” comments about benefit claimants at the recent Conservative Party Conference.
Chancellor Hunt revealed in Manchester his plans to enforce benefit restrictions on those not seriously looking for work.
While Bokhari doesn’t count himself in that category, he still thinks benefits claimants need support, rather than judgement.
Taking a furious swipe at the UK Government, Bokhari said: “The Tories are only interested in helping rich people and not people on benefits.
“Jeremy Hunt is arrogant and out of touch, he doesn’t care about people receiving benefits.”
Express.co.uk has contacted the Chancellor's office for comment.
