Want a more inclusive workplace?

Getting a foot in the door to employment is half the battle for Australians with disability – only 53.1 percent of us are employed, compared to 84.1 percent of people without disability. 

If we all strive to close this gap, everyone wins. The Disability Royal Commission estimated that employing more Australians with disability could add over $50 billion to the nation’s GDP by 2050.

At a personal level, the impact is profound. I am privileged to have had two champions early in my career who paved my way – both women with disability. As more people with disability get into the workforce, more pathways will be established for others to follow.

Accessibility is not synonymous with inclusion. The latter is about making sure everyone feels valued. The former is the action that ensures people’s needs are met, thereby demonstrating that they are valued.

Digital accessibility is a good place to start when looking at making your workplace more accessible. For example, check if your job application forms are compatible with screenreaders like JAWS, NVDA or Zoomtext.

You can learn how to set up your documents in a way that is accessible with a tool like Vision Australia’s Document Accessibility Toolbar (DAT). To find out more about supporting and funding your colleagues’ IT needs, you can speak with JobAccess.

Take the lead from your colleagues. When helping ensure they feel included at work, invite them to share what they are comfortable discussing. 

In my case, I have environmental and communication preferences: a glare-free environment, obstacle-free floors, quiet meeting environments, closed captions for videoconferencing and provision of large print material. The most important adjustment is a flexible, working-from-home arrangement.

Societal understanding of disability has shifted over time, leading to new models of disability and changing uses of language.

To kick-start the conversation about these changes in your workplace, I recommend reading the Social Model of Disability and Language Guide from People with Disability Australia. My strongest advice, however, is to take your cues from colleagues with disability and use their preferred language for self-identification, e.g. I prefer deafblind, and disabled woman.

Australians with disability are not only protected against discrimination under the law, but they are also legally entitled to safe working conditions.

The Disability Royal Commission found that for a workplace to be safe, it must provide people with wages that support cost-of-living and housing. Some Australians with disability are receiving $2.37 an hour – this rate is far below Australia’s poverty line. From my own experience, people with disability also have added living costs such as medical bills and medications that accumulate swiftly atop other expenses.

When employing people with disability, these factors must be considered.