Alan's an Aussie larrikin who likes woodwork, trucks and Slim Dusty – and he’s living his life to the full.
Alan joined the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) six months after it launched in Queensland, and he says it’s been ‘a complete game changer that lets me do so much’.
He gives a lot of credit to his team of ‘awesome’ support workers, who support him to enjoy woodwork twice a week and attend NRL games, rockabilly concerts and drag racing.
His NDIS funding has helped him to access respite services and, with his support worker, he’s explored Roma, Dubbo and Cunnamulla – where he went on truck routes with triple road trains, visited a cattle yard, and saw the Cunnamulla Fella, a tribute to the Aussie stockman Slim Dusty made famous.
At his regular community music classes, Alan plays the Octopad, riffing with his experienced mentors while having a coffee and a yarn. One of his mentors has even worked with Australia country music star, Kasey Chambers, which Alan is quietly impressed about.
“My support workers assist me with domestic odds and ends too, like mowing my lawn and meal preparation. The support worker who does that is a former chef who used to run a kitchen,” says Alan.
Lucky him!
Alan’s NDIS funding has also provided him with a Seeing Eye Dog from Vision Australia – and Xenon and Alan are frequent visitors to My Plan Manager expo stands and events in Queensland.
Initially he used a digital platform to find his support workers, and Alan says he ‘fell into luck’ from there.
In his view, having common interests is vital to the relationship between Alan and those who support him, and with people who like to travel, make music, cook, chat and drink in life, it seems he’s really struck gold.
“None of this would exist without the NDIS,” says Alan. “It takes a load off the family and my partner, and it’s so much better for me. I couldn’t have done half of this stuff without being on the Scheme – I wouldn’t be doing much at all.”
One day, Alan hopes to be in a band and play music in clubs. We’re here for it, that’s for sure!
Finished reading? Check out Linda's story here.
We’ve long defined Australia as the land of the ‘fair go’ – a place of mutual respect and equal opportunity, regardless of difference or circumstance.
But consider these numbers:
These statistics – discussed in this research article – are stark, and they underscore just some of the many factors impacting the representation of people with disability in the leadership ranks of our nation.
It begs the question, how inclusive is Australia really?
Diversity of leadership is addressed in Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031, the Federal Government’s framework to improve the lives of people in the disability community.
More leaders with disability can help to make the world a fairer place, creating a positive frame of reference for peers aspiring to enhance their skills, broaden their employment opportunities, and develop their careers.
Diversifying Australia’s leadership ranks and including quality candidates with disability exemplifies the ‘fair go’ that’s ingrained in our social fabric and strengthens the foundation upon which our community is built. It also paints a truer picture of the depth and breadth of global demographics.
Put simply, it’s important for people with disability to be leaders and represented at all levels and across all industries – and it adds value to all of us.
Leadership is the focus of the 2024 International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD), celebrated on 3 December.
The theme – Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future – invites us all to step up to the plate.
So, what practical steps can you or your organisation take to ensure people with disability have every opportunity to embrace and explore their leadership potential? Here are a four thought-starters.
#1. First up, we love this short film from the Australian Disability Network. It uses the comedic talents of Madeleine Stewart and Sam Wade to upskill people and businesses by providing lots of laughs and some great practical tools for the creation of inclusive workplaces.
It’s well worth watching and great for sharing with your colleagues and others in your social and professional networks to get them thinking about inclusivity.
#2. Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA) has released a leadership and mentoring toolkit, which the organisation’s CEO, Sophie Cusworth, says has the potential to transform opportunities for those who use it.
“For too long, our community has been excluded from opportunities to lead and participate, in all areas of life,” she says. “We want to see a world that values the leadership of women and gender diverse people with disabilities, and challenges harmful and false narratives about who can and can’t be a leader.”
“This toolkit is designed by and for our community, to equip women and gender diverse people with disabilities with the skills and confidence to lead, participate, and influence. We want to see a future where our voices are heard, valued, and leading the way.”
You can find an Auslan-interpreted version of the Toolkit on YouTube and access Easy Read PDFs in a variety of languages here.
#3. Interested in a directory of disability-led businesses, as well as resources and training to help people to become more confident leaders? The Disability Leadership Institute has got you covered. Click here to find out more.
For organisations looking to recruit high-potential disability leaders as board members, executives and managers, or identify quality public speakers and media spokespeople, the Institute keeps a national register of disability leaders and it can help you to make connections too.
#4. Feeling inspired? Why not dip into the stories of this year’s IDPwD ambassadors. From DJ and music producer, Cooper Smith, to award-winning intuitive speaker, thought leader and human-rights activist, Khadija Gbla, the 2024 ambassadors are certainly a varied and talented group.
Whether you realise it or not, it’s highly likely you know a carer. After all, there are more than three million unpaid carers around the country – one in eight members of every community – and up to three young carers in every classroom.
With those numbers in mind, it’s not difficult to understand the enormous and positive impact informal carers have on the nation. At a personal level, there’s the literal care and support they provide to family members and friends, and more broadly, the vast amount their input contributes to the Australian economy.
A 2020 report released by Deloitte Access Economics placed a value of almost $80 billion on unpaid care delivered in remote, rural, regional and metropolitan communities. But amid this national landscape of support, who cares for the carers? And what impact does their caring role have on those who fulfil it?
The recently-released 2024 Carer Wellbeing Survey – which analysed feedback received from more than 9000 carers aged 14 years and older – reported that while one in two carers find the role satisfying overall:
Health and wellbeing is also a key area of concern, with carers three times more likely to report high levels of loneliness (40.3 per cent compared with 13.8 per cent of other Australians) and 2.6 times less likely to have good or excellent health.
The risk of poor wellbeing is higher amongst carers who have more complex, time consuming or otherwise challenging caring commitments, but health and wellbeing markers are improved for carers who have supportive family members, friends and workplaces.
Just as the disability community is a group anyone can join at any time, so too is the caring community. Becoming a carer might happen gradually or suddenly, so we owe it to all carers – and perhaps our future selves – to ensure carers are well supported.
Carers Australia has issued a call to action for the nation, saying its survey shows Australia’s carers are being left behind.
“At some point in every Australian’s life, we will either know, be, or need a carer,” says the organisation’s CEO, Annabel Reid.
“Our 2024 Carer Wellbeing Survey found our carers are being left behind in most of the key indicators of wellbeing, including loneliness, psychological distress, and financial hardship.
“Carers need the ongoing support of all Australians – from government, businesses and media to classrooms and families, and medical professionals and our community.”
The good news is there’s help available. To find out more about supports for carers, read our article here.
There are an estimated 4 million people with disability in Australia today – and this means there are millions of brothers and sisters around the nation with intimate experience of a rarely-discussed role: being a sibling of a person with disability.
We spoke with Siblings Australia CEO, Dr Shannon Schedlich, to learn more about sibling relationships in the context of disability, and the supports available to brothers, sisters, and families across the country.
For better or for worse, siblings are likely to be each other’s longest-lasting relationships, and safeguarding those connections so everyone feels supported and the family dynamic thrives is vital.
That’s why Siblings Australia exists – to support, encourage and advocate for the children and adults who are often profoundly involved in the lives of their brothers and sisters.
Dr Schedlich understands this role at work and at home. Her own children became siblings of a child with disability after Dr Schedlich remarried, and their personal experience was one of the driving forces behind her decision to helm the 25-year-old organisation.
“Having seen the challenges my stepson faced with his sister, and then also becoming aware of the dynamics that exist within our family and other families, it’s very much how do you do the job to make sure everyone’s needs are met?” says Dr Schedlich.
“This is at the fore of our lives and it’s the core of my work too.”
Siblings Australia has two distinct arms – one to ensure brothers and sisters of people with disability are acknowledged in policy and practice related to disability inclusion, and the other to make direct support available for siblings themselves.
Dr Schedlich says siblings can feel invisible – not only to politicians and policy makers, but at times in their own families as well.
“We know, in certain circumstances, siblings have some complex needs,” she says. “Siblings are more likely to have their own potentially subclinical levels of disability, more likely to have suicidal ideation, more likely to have anxiety and depression than their peers who don’t have siblings with disability… but in a whole heap of policy areas there is just silence around them and their needs.”
“We also know that reflects in families – and I say this acknowledging not all families experience this, but a lot of adult siblings report being ‘the glass child’, the child whose needs are seen through.”
Dr Schedlich says it’s also damaging when a sibling with disability is seen as ‘other’ by structural systems.
“I think one of the unintended consequences of the NDIS is that it has created the person with disability as this little island within their family,” says Dr Schedlich. “They are the most important thing, and their needs are centralised, but it’s their needs outside of their foundations being supported.”
“But how do you do things out in the community or school or workplace without looking at the core piece, which is family support?
“You often see within the NDIS, that either the Agency itself or people providing support will talk about family support and what they are talking about is parent supports. They are ignoring the needs of the other children by saying 'kids are resilient, they are fine, they don’t know any different', but this attitude can be really damaging.”
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
Dr Schedlich says it’s the vision for truly recognising siblings as their own unique and important individuals that benefits the whole family and the wider community – and that includes people with disability.
“It’s very important to recognise we are talking about kids and all kids have needs and things that need to be fulfilled, regardless of what else is happening in the family,” says Dr Schedlich.
“For the overall family dynamics, when siblings are supported, the stress of the family decreases – and if we are looking across the lifespan, where Siblings Australia works, we know when siblings are seen and supported, they go on to have really fulfilling relationships with their brother or sister with disability.
“There are siblings who choose to go no-contact later in life because they feel they have been so overlooked they need to prioritise their own lives. But we also know the positive impacts that siblings have. We’ve written a white paper about this, looking at the ways that siblings are supporting the outcomes of the Australia Disability Strategy.
“Sibling relationships are so vital for people with disability because it’s often one of the few horizontal relationships people with disability have, where they are genuinely recognised as equals with their own identity.
“Siblings often see their brother or sister with disability from a strength-based perspective – what they can do – and as a sibling, not a person with disability.
“There are incredible flow-on effects for people with disability when siblings are supported. If you have a really strong family unit there's so much benefit to your wellbeing.”
In fact, Dr Schedlich says positive and strong sibling relationships become even more important as people grow into adults.
“Later in life, from a safety perspective, having engaged siblings once Mum and Dad age out means you have that set of eyes on you, so you’re safer. That’s the reality. It’s a protective relationship.”
It’s often understood that as parents age and siblings develop into adults, they will take on more responsibility for their brother or sister with disability.
Sometimes this happens gradually and can be planned for. At other times, there’s a crisis and siblings have to step up, fast.
That’s why Siblings Australia has developed SibPlan – a free planning and support resource to help siblings to understand, support and plan for their brother or sister’s needs, now and in the future.
“Whether it’s doing future planning stuff or they’re saying, ‘I don’t know where to start’, SibPlan lays it out,” says Dr Schedlich. “It’s centralised through life goals and helps navigate through.”
“I always say to adult siblings, it’s not the disability that is overwhelming, it’s the systems that sit around the disability that can be overwhelming.”
There’s also SibChat, a moderated, online Facebook group that connects siblings of people with disability to a community where they can draw on the experiences and support of other siblings.
It’s often said that parenting is about understanding which balls can be dropped because they’re durable plastic, and which balls must be caught because they’re fragile glass.
Siblings Australia certainly understands this.
Dr Schedlich says parents of children with disability have a lot to juggle, but she believes it’s vital siblings receive care and attention as well.
Here are six quick tips on how to manage the juggle:
As disability can have a genetic component, there’s a chance other siblings may also share the same disability, albeit with lower support needs.
“If you have one child with significant support needs, it can be easy to overlook the child who seems to be travelling okay,” says Dr Schedlich.
“Check whether other siblings have potential diagnoses that haven’t been addressed.”
A 2018 study by Siblings Australia revealed 66 per cent of adult siblings reported having anxiety, 54 per cent reported depression, and 84 per cent revealed family stress.
Dr Schedlich says it’s important you’re present when it really matters to your children.
If you have a soccer-obsessed child, make sure you can make it to the sidelines as often as possible, or for an academically-focused child, be at assembly when they’re receiving a Principal’s Award.
You can take time with their interests, setting aside 1:1 time to talk Pokemon, have a go at gaming, or even enjoy a walk together.
“Kids are really understanding, they get there is a whole raft of things going on, but they also need to know the things that matter to them matter to their parents,” says Dr Schedlich.
For the times when you can’t be there, if aunties, uncles, or friends-who-are-chosen-family can be there for siblings, it really helps.
“It’s equally important for the sibling-child to have their village too,” says Dr Schedlich.
This is important at school as well! Ensure siblings aren’t being pulled out of their own classes to provide support to their brother or sister with disability and do your best to preserve the relationships between siblings.
Family doctors and school counsellors can be good resources for your children, and Carer Gateway also offers phone counselling that may be suitable.
Siblings Australia can support siblings with counselling too – either individually or as part of a family.
Contact SibSupport for more information.
3 September 2024
When you have a community, it can change everything – just ask Belinda Willoughby.
Before joining FIDA (aka the Football Integration Development Association), it was a challenge for Belinda to get out and talk to other people. But once she donned her footy boots and got on the field, her courage grew.
“I loved it,” Belinda says.
FIDA is a place of belonging for Belinda and more than 800 other football players with intellectual disability, plus their supporters.
Founded in 1991 and operating across 28 clubs throughout Victoria, FIDA is the leading organisation for inclusive football – and it hits the mark off the field as well as on it.
“Football’s a vehicle to provide people with intellectual impairment with access to all sorts of supports that you get in a football environment, so things like health and wellbeing, access to employment, and a community,” says FIDA president, Logan Whitaker.
Raldy McCoullough, proud parent of FIDA footy player, Caleb, agrees.
“FIDA has shown Caleb that there is something out there for people with disability,” he says.
“Just in his normal life, Caleb’s stepping up. FIDA leadership has come along, and he hasn’t stepped back.”
FIDA is all about fitness, fun, friendship, and a real sense of belonging – and above all, it fosters a culture of respect. That’s why My Plan Manager is proudly partnering with the organisation to bring footy to people across Victoria.
Being part of a sporting movement that's committed to creating opportunities for everyone to lace up their boots, get outdoors, and join their mates (old and new) in a bit of friendly fun – who wouldn't want to throw their support behind that?
Thanks for having us FIDA!
To learn more about FIDA and how you can get involved, click here.
Vegemite and Jatz, snags and Bunnings, and Hamish and Andy – some Aussie icons are even better when they’re paired together.
And that’s true for My Plan Manager and Special Olympics Australia. The organisations recently launched their first-ever partnership, which aims to develop Special Olympics Australia’s suite of sports programs for people with intellectual disability, developmental delay and autism.
Importantly, the collaboration will also support athletes and their families to navigate the complexities of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funding.
At the partnership launch event, My Plan Manager Chief Executive Officer, Jane Kittel, spoke of the connection between the two organisations.
“My Plan Manager’s purpose is creating a fair and inclusive Australia where everyone has the right to achieve their potential, and that’s perfectly aligned with Special Olympics Australia who place inclusivity front and centre of everything they do,” said Jane.
“We want to back organisations that really make a difference and give back to the communities where we have a presence.”
Making a difference is synonymous with the work of Special Olympics Australia.
With clubs and programs in every state and territory across the nation, the organisation provides a place of belonging and a sense of community for thousands of people with disability and their families – plus coaches, officials and volunteers.
“Special Olympics runs training and competitions for people with intellectual disabilities at every level in every state, with major events throughout the year,” said Special Olympics Australia Chief Executive Officer, Pierre Comis.
“We put our athletes on the world stage every four years in the World Games. But more importantly, we give them opportunities every single week to come together and train, and to compete at a local level through everything from weekly club competitions to our state, national, Asia Pacific and World Games in both summer and winter sports.”
One of these athletes is Madi, who – along with her teammates – helped launch the partnership between My Plan Manager and Special Olympics Australia at an event in My Plan Manager’s corporate headquarters.
At the age of nine, Madi was hit by a car when she was leaving a playground. She was lucky to survive.
Reflecting on the accident, she said:
“Since then, I have had to learn how to do everything again – walk, talk, swallow, read, live.
Before my accident, I was a mad athlete. Any sport was great, but basketball was my real love.
I’ve been lucky to find basketball again with Special Olympics Australia, but my physical and intellectual challenges make it so much harder for me to achieve my best.
In 2022, I went to Tasmania to play basketball for South Australia at the Special Olympics Australia National Games. I was so proud to compete and represent my state.”
Following the National Games in Tasmania, Madi competed at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin. She and her teammates secured a bronze medal in the last seconds of a nail-biting, overtime match against Kazakhstan.
More importantly than bringing home a medal, Madi brought home joy.
She said playing basketball with Special Olympics Australia “makes me feel better about myself”.
According to Pierre, Special Olympics Australia is an organisation that has grown into a movement and a strong and powerful way for participating athletes to demonstrate their capabilities to everyone in the country, and indeed the world.
“We use sport as the vehicle, but we have so many different programs that allow us to achieve our goals,” said Pierre.
Special Olympics Australia’s programs include Young Athletes for children with and without disability aged two to eight, Inclusive Sport in Schools for educators, and an Inclusive Sport Academy for budding coaches.
As for My Plan Manager, athletes (and their supporters!) can expect to see our team members cheering from the side lines and providing NDIS plan management education at one of the many ‘Healthy Community Hubs’ that are open at state and national games.
Together, My Plan Manager and Special Olympics Australia are partners in inclusion.
Your local park, an art studio, a university, or the foreshore of a lake or beach. How many of these places could be home to great community supports?
We know the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has been life changing for people with disability, their families and loved ones. We also know participants are encouraged to access mainstream services so they’re better included in the everyday life of Australia.
This means that, in addition to the supports and services people with disability access through the Scheme, they also have opportunities to actively engage with the people, spaces, activities, and events in their area.
Don’t get us wrong, disability supports absolutely have their place, but we all know that the more we’re connected to our community, the broader our social and support networks will be, and that’s better for everyone.
So, to get you started, we checked in with our own networks and compiled a list of seven great suggestions to help you start building your own community.
Known for fixing the roads, maintaining local parks, and organising your kerbside waste collection, local government authorities – or councils, as most people call them – offer loads more for the community. You just need to go looking!
Week in, week out, councils across the country organise markets, street fairs, fitness classes, exhibitions, repair cafes, and community programs, and they run local libraries too!
Go to the search bar on your council’s website and type in ‘what’s on’ to bring up a calendar of events and activities. You’ll be amazed at everything that’s happening in your community.
Hot tip: check out the calendars of neighbouring councils too. If you’re willing to travel a little distance, there’s no limit to what you can experience!
If you’re not tech-savvy, or you’d prefer to speak with someone directly, visit your council’s offices, go to the local library, or give one or both a call. Council staff will be only too happy to point you in the right direction.
Facebook community groups are places where locals come together to trade ideas, share updates, and ask for advice.
Through groups ranging from hyper-local networks for your street, to suburb collectives, and online discussion boards for the wider region you live in, you can find a wealth of information and support.
When we dived into our own groups, we discovered everything from information about upcoming markets, youth groups, local fitness clubs and craft groups, to book clubs, volunteer programs, coffee catch ups and knitting circles – so jump online and see what’s on offer in your area.
And don’t discount your ‘Buy Nothing’ groups either – these groups stay super local to encourage easy drop off and pick up of free goods in your area. Not only are they a great way to move on items you don’t use any more, put your hand up for things being gifted, or ask for stuff you might need, but Buy Nothing groups often share news about free or low-cost local events and activities too.
Parkrun is a free community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer, or spectate. Don’t let the name fool you, it’s for everyone – and that means there are plenty of opportunities for anyone who wants to get involved in a positive, welcoming and inclusive community.
Almost 500 Parkrun events take place around Australia every weekend and you can find out more about them here. Organisers are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and the Parkrun website has lots of information about that too.
Parkrun is a great place to get outdoors, meet new people, and get your endorphins flowing. If accessibility is required, make sure to check with organisers first to find out about your local event and the track it covers.
This is an underrated one – lots of universities and TAFE campuses host student concerts, exhibitions, or free talks, and some even run programs that provide low-cost hair and beauty services or cooking school dining experiences delivered by students (under supervision, of course!).
Find something you’re passionate about or just go with an open mind – you never know what you’ll experience!
And who doesn’t like a cut-price concert, meal or haircut?
Check out your state tourism authority for things to see and do. You might become aware of events you hadn’t heard of before and you can usually find things that are free or low-cost to try.
Don’t discount the power of suggestion. Sometimes things that have been right under our noses the whole time can be forgotten about and it takes seeing them through the eyes of a tourist to make us appreciate them!
This is such a hack – open a browser on your computer or phone and start searching for ‘come and try days’ in your state or territory to see what’s on offer. Most come and try events are free or low-cost and you could find your new favourite hobby!
Make sure you pay attention to your online search terms. Some words you might want include are:
If you get stuck, consider heading to your local library to ask your friendly librarian for help. Think about calling ahead in case you need to make a time to visit them.
Most come and try days advertise the accessibility of the activity, but if you’re not sure, just reach out to the organisers.
Have you ever thought about giving your time to others, but wondered how to get involved? Look no further – Volunteering Australia has got you covered.
We took a quick peek at the opportunities available and found everything from tutoring and telephone crisis support through to fundraising and working in a volunteer kitchen.
Sharing skills, building connections, and giving and receiving support – we can’t think of a better foundation for any community!
Trying something new can be nerve wracking! That’s human nature. New things are exciting, but excitement and anxiety can often feel the same way.
When you’re participating in your new experience, remember to:
Great art makes the audience feel something – and for collaborators Grace Colsey (they/them) and Jaziel ‘Jazz’ Siegertsz (he/him), they want their audience to feel seen, connected and inspired.
Their show, Smiling Through The Human, took out the My Plan Manager Access Award at the 2024 Adelaide Fringe. The award celebrates and recognises a creative or an event with lived experience of disability.
Grace says the show, which draws on music, song and existential comedy, shares both the reality and the hope of living with neurodivergence and mental illness.
“I started writing the show because art that had made me feel seen as someone who experiences mental illness and is very, very neurodivergent was quite scarce,” says Grace.
“I had a bunch of songs I was working on, they all happened to be about similar topics, namely mental health and neurodivergence. I wanted to help people feel seen and understood in this chaotic, weird and un-wonderful existence, and to recognise how weird it is to exist in a world that is fundamentally not built for us.”
However Jazz says the show is also about leaving the audience with a message of optimism.
“One of the best things we do with this show, Grace, you leave everyone on a hopeful note with your last song, Air,” says Jazz.
“It can be dangerous to look at mental illness and bring the audience to a dark place and leave them there. You leave everyone feeling connected to this community they find around them. They feel inspired and seen, and it’s a breath of fresh air, something new – to walk away from the show, to keep trudging through every day.”
Grace and Jazz say they were committed to accessibility for their audience, including choosing at least one wheelchair-accessible venue, having AUSLAN interpreters where possible, holding some relaxed sessions without strong lighting at the Curiositeas Tea Room, providing fidget toys for members of the audience to use, and offering access to a sensory space at My Lover Cindi.
It’s why winning the My Plan Manager Access Award was so meaningful for the pair – even though they missed the awards ceremony!
“It was very fitting and ironic – we forgot the awards ceremony was on because we had a show that day,” says Grace. “We were doing a sound check and Kate – one of the venue owners of My Lover Cindi – was like ‘congratulations on the award!’”
“And we had absolutely no idea… the irony when we found out the award we won,” injects Jazz.
“You know we’re not faking it! But also, the Access Award is so special to us as disabled artists who made a show about disability for disabled people – it feels like we’ve come full circle,” says Grace.
“It helps us to keep making the art we want to make, and it hopefully means we’ll be able to put it in front of as many people as possible.”
Next on the cards for the pair – after a well-deserved break – are plans to take Smiling Through The Human to regional audiences and bring new projects to the stage in coming years.
“As we both have ADHD, and Grace is autistic, and we both have mental illnesses, we got to a point where we almost cancelled the entire season because of how difficult it is to do a production with two ADHD people dealing with other stuff,” says Jazz.
“But being able to rely on each other and push through and having this be the outcome with fostering community and winning this award, it makes us feel like we made the right decision, and it was worth it, as we put some good out into the world.”
Jazz says both he and Grace will keep advocating for accessibility in the arts and everywhere.
“I think the biggest takeaway in winning the Access Award is that accessibility isn’t just for the people who need it, it makes things better for everyone,” he says. “There can be a lot of feeling like you have to apologise for your disability – it’s nice to have accommodations where you don’t have to keep apologising for existing.”
For more information and future shows, view Grace's linktree here, and Jaziel's linktree here.
The right expertise can achieve better outcomes. That’s why, at tax time, you may see an accountant to gain a better tax return. And if you’re selling your house, you’ll probably think about engaging a real estate agent to help you fetch a higher price.
So when you’re looking for work, why wouldn’t you get an expert involved?
A good Disability Employment Service (DES) provider will understand how to get a higher return from a competitive job market. They support people with disability to prepare for employment, find a job and work towards succeeding in their chosen path.
The most recent National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) quarterly report to disability ministers reported an upswing in the number of NDIS participants, their families and carers gaining paid employment.
Twenty-two per cent of participants aged 15 to 24 years were reportedly involved in work – a figure that more than doubled from the prior quarter – and for the broader age group of 15 to 64 years, the percentage of participants in work grew from 19 to 21 per cent.
These outcomes are heartening – especially against the backdrop of 2022 research conducted by disability employment organisation, Jigsaw, which found that approximately half of Australian managers and HR professionals had never hired or knowingly worked with a person with disability.
Almost half of those surveyed said their organisations had diversity and inclusion policies in place, but 91 per cent of those who’d hired a person with disability through a DES provider had experienced challenges with recruitment and retention.
It’s evident there’s still work to be done to make the job market accessible to all – and that’s why sharing experience and expertise in the field of disability employment is vital.
We spoke with Michelle Peach, Senior Leader – Performance and Projects at DES provider, Community Solutions Group, and Terry, a client of Michelle’s business. They shared their learnings – and a few key tips for securing the job you’re after.
Here’s what Michelle told us.
A. DES is for community members who have a verified disability, mental health condition, treated illness or injury, and who are looking for employment.
Many of our clients are long term unemployed and they find the level of ongoing support provided under DES to be crucial – not just with finding a new job that suits their abilities and needs, but also in keeping that job in the long term.
A. People are often amazed by the amount of support they can receive under DES. At Community Solutions, we will put a plan together to help you find employment by building your confidence, helping you apply for jobs and prepare for interviews, and helping you understand the local labour market.
We’ll help you get training, certificates, background checks, NDIS worker cards, uniforms or the personal protective equipment needed to do your new job. We’ll also help you connect with potential employers, and we will stay by your side for your first 12 months of employment, to ensure you are able to maintain your new role.
A. You should look for a provider that truly listens to you.
A good provider will take the time to understand your disability and unique needs, and will chat to you about your interests, skills, and experiences to find out how best to support you to get into work.
A. From your initial appointment, your DES provider will develop an action plan with you to map out your journey to finding employment.
At Community Solutions, we understand everybody is different, and the employment pathway isn’t the same for everyone. We’ll help you get the skills and training that will equip you to do your chosen job and we’ll make sure your employer understands how they can support you in the role too.
Then, we’ll provide at least 12 months of ongoing support to help work out any issues that arise during your employment. This can be by helping with further training or helping work out any communication issues between the employer and employee, so that issues can be addressed early.
A. No funding is required in your NDIS plan for DES. In fact, DES operates under a different government program.
If you have a verified disability, mental health condition, treated illness or injury, and are looking for employment, then you could qualify for DES, regardless of whether or not you’re also an NDIS participant.
A. We recognise that for some people, particularly those who are neurodiverse, forming good working relationships is not only one of the most important parts of holding down a job, but can also be the most challenging.
We will work in partnership with you and tailor our assistance to meet your individual needs. If you need to work on forming working relationships, we’ll develop a plan to support you with that.
Above all, the most important thing is communication. If you’re having trouble communicating with your employer – or if your employer is not communicating well with you – let your DES provider know sooner rather than later. We can step in and ensure issues are resolved early.
A. We recognise that it can be very disheartening to be repeatedly rejected while applying for jobs. Building confidence and self esteem after a knock-back is something that Community Solutions works closely with our clients on.
Our goal is to help people who face barriers to employment break down those barriers and get into sustainable employment.
But don’t just take Michelle’s word for it. Terry is a Community Solutions client in Rockhampton in Central Queensland. He’s generously shared his DES experience.
Here’s what Terry told us.
A. My job is driving and delivering parcels for a company called PacPlus, based in Rockhampton. I really enjoy my job – it gives me freedom and security. My workmates are awesome and it’s great to be part of a team.
A. I was keen to get back into work, but I had a few obstacles which made it difficult to get started. I went into Community Solutions in Rockhampton and spoke to Sonja, a recruitment partner for DES. We got on straight away and she really listened.
A. When I went to see Community Solutions, I didn’t know what to expect. I was determined to find work though, and knew I needed some advice and support.
Having the backing of Sonja and the Rockhampton team made it so easy.
So there you have it! Whether you’re about to embark on a hunt for your first job, or you’re feeling the need for a change in direction, a DES provider could be the expert on your team to set you up for success.
