Former real estate agent shines light on barriers to disabled getting jobs
“It is about understanding how people with disabilities do things differently. We can still work and love to work and be included. It gives us a real purpose.”
Resources
NDIS data drop reveals severe employment gaps
Nearly half of all employed National Disability Insurance Scheme recipients over 25 are working for an Australian Disability Enterprise, while just 33 per cent are working in mainstream employment at full award wages, new data has revealed.
You’re missing out by not hiring autistic workers. Here’s how to ensure that they thrive at work
Many companies overlook workers with autism. Here’s why they miss out when they do so and what they can do to make sure that autistic employees thrive in the workplace.
Dylan Alcott launches campaign fighting barriers to work for people with disability
The Remove the Barrier campaign, launched by the Dylan Alcott Foundation on Tuesday, aims to remove the visible and invisible barriers that prevent people with disability from finding work. Despite one in five people in Australia living with disability, only 54 per cent of people with disability have employment, with few initiatives in place to shift the statistic.
The ‘diversity trend’ taking over global offices
Just one in three Australian businesses hire people with a disability, despite most claiming they were willing to do so, according to a study of over 1200 businesses by the Department of Social Services.
Tom Mangan, General Manager – Workforce Solutions at Community Solutions, said that as a Disability Employment Services his team are always working to overcome these barriers.
The struggle to get and keep employment when you have a disability
For those with disabilities, it’s not just hard getting a job, it can be a struggle to feel secure and challenged, say two Australians with firsthand experience.
Hiring people with disabilities: What you need to know
Most recruiting occurs from the perspective of the perceived ‘best available candidate’, according to Matt Little, CEO at CoAct.
Even in large organisations who implement implicit strategies to increase the representation of people with a disability, the ingrained HR policies and processes are designed to filter out less credentialed candidates, added Little.
Just ask the question: Barriers to disability employment
One of the biggest barriers, when it came to employing people with disability, was hiring managers that believed employing someone with a disability would make their life too hard.
“We’ve got a lot of HR, diversity and inclusion professionals who are trying to implement unconscious bias training and diversity policies, but until hiring managers get themselves past this point of thinking a person with a disability is only going to make more work for them, we aren’t getting anywhere,” Kelly Schultz said.
The NDIS tension in boosting disability employment
Do disability-related choices translate to a boost in employment and, if not, how can the scheme be improved to promote this personal goal?
Embracing disability and diversity in the workplace
Those with disability experience more discrimination than any other group within society. Of all discrimination cases lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission in 2016-17, 37 per cent were on the grounds of disability. Only 48 per cent of working-age people with a disability have a job, compared with 79 per cent of those without disability, according to 2015 ABS data.
Employer Toolkit
This toolkit includes short video guides and downloadable resources with practical advice on disability and employment – from inclusive policies and recruitment, to workplace changes and managing staff. Topics covered in this program include disability employment basics, fundamentals for organisations, recruiting people with disability, getting your workplace ready and managing your team. This toolkit is freely available online and can be completed at your own pace.
Autistic Australians are being locked out of the workforce, study finds
A study commissioned by autism peak body Amaze, and described as an Australian-first by its authors, surveyed the employment experiences of those living with autism and their carers, as well as attitudes towards autistic people in the workforce.
Culture Shifting
One of the perennial topics of conversation about diversity, centres on how to shift culture. We need to shift culture so that diverse people will be attracted to an organisation and stay as employees or customers.
Boards and Committees Project
Closing date: June 30, 2019
This initiative supports Victorians with disability applying to sit on Victorian government boards or committees by offering free coaching support to examine your application and resume.
Young adults with Down syndrome to benefit from pilot employment program
The pilot will be based out of Melbourne’s Torren University, which will include a one-year work readiness program, including partnership with a national employer and a seven-week work placement program. Thirteen participants with Down syndrome between 22 and 35 years old will participate in the pilot. The program involves extensive collaboration across industry, education, disability employment services, media, Government and the not-for-profit sector.