An overhaul of the federal government’s controversial Disability Employment Service (DES) could see people with disabilities given more power to rank their job providers.
The European Space Agency on Wednesday named the first ever “parastronaut” in a major step towards allowing people with physical disabilities to work and live in space.
The Field has been created by people with disability. It’s a job board to disrupt the employment landscape. for people with disability, finding the right job has never been so accessible. Craft your brand with flexible resume types, take virtual tours of organisations and check out suggestions from the AI job matching algorithm. For employers, start by levelling up opportunities for everyone, and be equipped to showcase your organisation’s commitment to championing equity and inclusivity. Register on the Field, and engage with a huge pool of talent, simplify the process of inclusive employment, and diversify and upskill your workforce.
Today, Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott AO launched a new job site designed to connect people with disability to inclusive employers. Called The Field, the website has been designed and led by people with disability and aims to remove accessibility barriers present in other jobseeking sites.
The rate of employment of people with disability in Australia has remained stagnant for decades. As a country, we need to do more. We know employment and economic participation are good for an individual’s self-esteem, health and financial independence. IncludeAbility is an initiative developed to increase meaningful employment opportunities for people with disability, and to close the gap in workforce participation between people with disability and people without disability.
People on the national disability insurance scheme who want to work will be connected with a disability employment services provider under a trial to be established by the Albanese government.
“The NDIS is far from perfect but increasing the involvement of Disability Employment Services providers can only make things worse. DES has been failing disabled people for as long as it’s existed,” O’Connell said. “Pushing a failed industry on people discriminated against and excluded from the labour market because of our disabilities won’t get us jobs but it will expose us to harm.”
Advocates have welcomed the addition of so much lived experience to the NDIA board, but have noted that with the CEO position still filled by a person who doesn’t identify as having a disability, there is more work to be done.
Given those with partial capacity to work cannot work full-time, many still rely on welfare payments and even if they do find work, they would still benefit from an increase to the base rate or changes to the income taper thresholds.
Disability Representative Organisations are calling for changes to the Disability Support Pension (DSP) that would allow recipients to keep more of the money they earn when taking on paid work.
As a person with a disability myself, I can personally argue that one of the greatest barriers to employment is not the abilities of people with disabilities but the attitude of employers.
Only this year did I personally face discrimination in a workplace environment for my disabilities.
A lack of empathy and an unwillingness to adapt and allow leeway for people with disabilities presents a significant challenge.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said at the federal government’s jobs and skills summit that it will team up with the Business Council of Australia to establish a disability employment initiative pilot after reaching a memorandum of understanding. “Everyone deserves the dignity of work, and people living with disability, once employed, should also be supported into leadership roles,” she told the summit.
There have been calls at the Jobs and Skills Summit to boost participation of people with disabilities in the workforce.
Australian of the Year and tennis champion Dylan Alcott has called on employers to hire more people with disabilities in a passionate speech at the Jobs and Skills Summit.
The current maximum baseline disability support pension is $900.80 a fortnight. Under the pension income test, a single person on the DSP loses 50¢ in every dollar they earn over $190 a fortnight, which advocates say can act as a disincentive to work an extra day or two.