While people living with disability can face significant barriers when looking for a job, an increasing number of employers now recognise the importance of engaging a diverse workforce where individual ability is valued.

What sort of jobs are there for people living with disability?

One of the most effective ways to secure meaningful and sustainable employment for people living with disability is to closely align the requirements of a job with an individual’s unique skills and capacity. To find a job that’s a good fit with your skills and capacity, you might consider connecting with a Disability Employment Service (DES) provider like us. DES providers offer a range of specialist services and assist people living with a broad range of disabilities to identify their specific strengths, needs and preferences.

Profiling for mental fitness

Job seekers living with a diagnosis of mental illness, for example, can be assisted to build a profile that identifies preferred styles or types of work and support their wellbeing. This could include:

• Identifying what commitments need to fit in around work – for anyone with a heavy schedule of medical or therapy appointments, a flexible work schedule adjustment may be required.
• What kind of work style suits best – some jobs demand active collaboration, while others might require a high level of autonomy.
• What’s the preferred physical environment? Large open plan offices can be noisy and might lack natural light.
• Are there any specific psychological hazards that need to be identified and managed?

A more inclusive approach to hiring

For job seekers living with autism, finding an employer with an inclusive hiring program can mean the difference between failure and success. Historically, employers have overlooked applicants living with autism because they didn’t perform well at interviews.

A more inclusive approach to hiring offers candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their true skills and ability while undertaking relevant job-based tasks. Linking job seekers and prospective employers who offer a recruitment process based on various skill assessments, informal conversations or group activities can be a game changer.

Putting assistive technology to work

Exploring the use of assistive technology in the workplace can be the difference between getting or missing out on a job.

Job seekers with a physical disability may find it useful to explore the relevance of assistive technology to their personal circumstances. There’s a huge amount of technology available for use by people with physical disabilities in the workplace, ranging from voice recognition technology to highly accessible computers and phones, through to specially designed hardware such as a mouse or keyboard.

Finding the right fit

It’s all about alignment – when you know your strengths, needs and preferences and have access to a network of diverse employers, the conversation is directed at finding the right fit, not your disability.

Your job journey starts here