Disability guide empowers in building sustainable employment
EMPOWERING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY AND EMPLOYERS TO ESTABLISH SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT OPTIONS IS A TOPIC WELL WORTH TALKING ABOUT FOR FEROS CARE.
Feros Care LAC, National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Partner in the Community has worked with Disability Employment Services (DES) Provider, Multiple Solutions to deliver the ‘Talking About Your Disability Your Way’ project. The project has created a platform for people with disability to have a voice in identifying and achieving goals in employment, volunteer work, and study.
Feros Care and Multiple Solutions have worked collaboratively to develop a guide, that has the potential to enable people to tell their stories on an individual level. The guide is designed as a tool to give people a voice in overcoming roadblocks while promoting self-advocacy and inclusivity.
The Talking About Your Disability Your Way guide was created through co-design with people with disability, local community, and mainstream organisations. The guide has intentionally been broken down into three sections to allow people to:
• get to know who your support people are
• create networks that support you to enter employment, volunteer work and study
• identify your goal or goals and any possible roadblocks
• give guidance in sharing information about your disability and/or impairment
• create schedules and working targets to help reach your goals
• celebrate the goals you have achieved
TALKING ABOUT YOUR DISABILITY YOUR WAY GUIDE AIMS TO DRIVE SUSTAINABLE EMPLOYMENT
Feros Care Community Development Coordinator (CDC), Carly Grose explained that the aim of the guide is to empower people with disability and employers alike to build sustainable, on-going employment.
“Not only is this guide intended to assist LAC’s nationally, but it is intended to inspire the wider community and a broad range of services to support people with disability in sharing their individualised stories,” Carly said.
The project has seen Feros Care and Multiple Solutions work in association with local, state, and Federal Government in a consortium approach to encourage diverse ability in the workplace, which also aligns with the NDIA’s strategy to support employment for people with disability.
“We have intentions for the guide to roll-out nationally, not only in our own businesses but to other services that would benefit from a guide to support their own participants, clients, students and the wider community,” Carly said.
Multiple Solutions engaged their participants and Employment Consultants to support in the gathering of information and assist in the research phase of the project.
Together Carly and Multiple Solutions Regional Manager Sarah Moyle explained; “We learnt quickly through consultation that people entering study, employment, or volunteer work often had further goals,”
“We found that people had transferable skills they wanted to demonstrate to show their abilities to get to their next steps. This is a key element that was incorporated into the guide.”
MAKING PEOPLE’S GOALS ACHIEVABLE IS A KEY FOCUS OF THE GUIDE
In supporting people living with a disability, injury or illness to find and secure sustainable employment as part of their everyday practice, Sarah explained the first step is to help our participants share their goals and break them down into achievable outcomes.
“One of our objectives in creating the guide was to be able to assist participants to be motivated in reaching their goals,” Sarah said.
“It will also be an excellent way to engage with employers to understand people’s disability in an individualised way.”
The guide supports not only the user to understand the roadblocks when starting employment, volunteer work or study but also helps their supporters understand how to remove roadblocks to create equity and offer people with disability independence, choice, and control.
