Disability exposes Australians to a unique set of employment challenges. The government works with other organisations to plan and support policies. The policies create strategies that identify challenges faced by people with disabilities seeking employment. Those policies then promote employment for people with disabilities. The policies highlight the following strategies to address that problem.
Overcoming Challenges In Employment
People living with disability face personal and structural challenges. The need for employment touches on fresh recruitment. It also relates to re-employment or retention in a workplace. Some of the reasons that make it hard for people with a disability to find suitable work and possible solutions include:
Discrimination
Discrimination based on disability and other factors like gender and race exists. The people face discriminatory behaviours from employers and other people in the workplace. In many such situations, they face stigma. They have to battle stereotyping, harassment, and exclusion. That manifests when applying for work and in their working life.
The state and various organisations work together to promote inclusion as a solution. They use their membership in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability to support that objective. Australia also outlaws discrimination on disability in the Disability Discrimination Act of 1992.
Ignorance
Some people with disabilities have little knowledge about their rights in workplaces and employment matters. They also do not know how or where to seek help searching for and keeping their jobs. Often, employers pay them much less than their abled counterparts doing the same work.
In response to this, there are exclusive job sites. These offer affirmative action for those with disability. They list jobs or reserve job opportunities for people with disabilities. There is a call for employers to make their job ads inclusive and open. The employees should know their rights about terms of employment.
Inadequate Job Opportunities
There are limited job opportunities in the government and private corporations. These opportunities exist in the background, which rises demand for them. Those with disability face stiff competition when seeking employment.
There are quota systems in various companies to combat this problem. The arrangement ensures a specified quantity of jobs go to people with disabilities.
Non-accommodative Workplaces
Some jobs have extraneous work schedules. It becomes complicated when the management remains adamant against modifying them. Then it does not accommodate the special needs of disabled people. The employees may need longer intervals between tasks or more breaks.
Some employers and supervisors feel that such exemptions lower productivity. They decline to make such an allowance. That makes the workplace hostile for those with disability. Furthermore, some employers employ them on a short-term or casual contract. Some employers compel them to work without pay.
In other instances, workers with a disability face physical barriers in workplaces. There may be no ramps or lifts allocated to ease their mobility.
Buildings now have ramps for wheelchairs as regulation to accommodate the mobility of people with disability. Employers can encourage remote work. They can also allocate individual workspaces on lower floors of the building.
Lack of Education and Training
Sometimes people with disability do not have the knowledge and skills required for employment. Some lack access to various types and levels of education and training. It happens due to discrimination when accessing education opportunities.
Some schools and institutions are short of relevant facilities to train them. The institutions cannot support students and trainees with special needs. As a result, they cannot utilise the technologies required to do their work.
Some interventions here include the Disability Leadership Program and the Direct Change Scholarship. These two programs run under the Australian Network on Disability. They provide empowerment, skills, and confidence.
Final Take
People with disability often face challenges in workplaces due to unawareness. The ignorance of employers, disabled employees, and society contributes to that. Solutions to employment challenges for anyone with a disability should focus on inclusivity and empowerment.
