Disability Inclusion in the Workplace

[On-Demand Workshop]

Disability Inclusion in the Workplace: What, why and how we can do better, together

Hear from individual case studies, lessons learnt and resources on how we together can enhance, scale and achieve a more accessible and inclusive workforce by removing barriers to work, starting with recruitment.

(1 hour in length)

Click the link here to listen to the audio version

Please note: The statistic on slide 1 should say, "In Australia, over 4.4 million people have lived experience of disability: that’s 1 in 5 people. Yet only 53.4 % of people with disability of a working age (16-64) are actively working, compared to 84.1% of people the same age without disability."

What can we do to help make our workplaces more inclusive for employees with disabilities?

Watch the recording above to:

Learn from the experiences of others
Take away insight, ideas and resources that will work towards making Australia a more inclusive place to work for everyone
Be a part of something that will make a real difference to people's lives.

Key take aways include:

We need to see a change in representation of people with disability in the workplace and see organisations representing the communities in which they operate.
We need to be creating greater opportunities for people with disability to take on leadership roles, so that there can be greater systemic change. There is power in the vulnerability of leaders to share their stories of living with a disability to raise awareness, adjust attitudes & challenge unconscious bias. You can’t be the change you can’t see.
When it comes to supporting disability employment, it doesn’t have to be perfect for you to start. It’s about learning and understanding as you go along and allowing those with lived experience to tell us what works for them. Those who have experienced barriers to employment previously, know how and when these barriers can be removed. The most important thing is asking the question- what can we do to support you going forward? How can our processes be adapted to ensure that you get the most out of this and are able to fully engage and fulfil your role? The first step is opening up those initial conversations as early on as possible. Not knowing all of the answers is not a good enough reason not to start.
When it comes to addressing accessibility and flexibility in the workplace, it’s a case of considering our processes end to end, including the physical accessibility, digital accessibility, the accessibility of our recruitment and onboarding processes and ensuring that we keep universal design in mind throughout an employee’s journey.
It is important to consider the option of job carving as able, where a job role is developed around an individual with a disability. Ask yourself is it more important that the job gets done, or how the job gets done?
Adjustments in the workplace can be very simple changes at little financial cost but have great long-term impact not just for those with disability, but for the whole workforce.
A supportive environment is critical for employee’s success and achieving their personal professional goals.
Seek the support of organisations who are committed to diversity and inclusion and tap into resources available from the likes of Government initiatives such as Job Access (more information to follow). Underrepresentation in the work force is a collective issue that requires a collective solution.