Employment Without Barriers

It's time for all workplaces to welcome people with disability

#EmploymentWithoutBarriers

More than 20% of Australians have disability.

Yet only half of those, who are of working age, have secured employment.

People with disability experience more barriers to employment than people without – and that is unacceptable.

Creating Employment Without Barriers

Help change attitudes: “Look at what people with disability can bring as opposed to what they can't.”

Meet Allan, one of our NDIS Support Coordinators, and learn more about the powerful, life-changing impact of inclusive workplaces by hearing his story of being welcomed into Life Without Barriers.

Create an open and inclusive workplace for people with disability

Learn from David Meere, Head of Talent and Attraction, about how we are continually improving our recruitment and retention process to ensure we find new ways to welcome people with a disability into our organisation.

Find ways to support the careers of all employees

Emily Reaper is an Executive Officer at Life Without Barriers. Emily shares her story of barriers being broken - something she once thought was impossible.

Employment Without Barriers

Our commitment to create #EmploymentWithoutBarriers

Learn how we are supporting people with disability into meaningful employment.

Real life stories from some of our team members

What are the barriers to employment faced by people with disability?

  • 1. Discrimination

    The biggest issue people with disability face is discrimination during the recruitment phase as well as in the workplace, which is largely through unconscious bias.

    What you can do

    • Challenge what you think you know and unconscious bias
    • Download our campaign resources to create an inclusive workplace

    What is the worst part of a job interview for people with disability?

    Watch this video to hear the different experiences of interviews when you’re living with disability.

  • 2. Poor understanding of the rights of people with disability

    People with disability have both legal and human rights, and yet often this is not known or understood, which means their rights are not met – or worse, breached!

    What you can do

  • 3. Lack of job availability

    Despite unemployment being low at around 3.5% (August 2022), there is very little marketing of jobs to people with a disability to encourage them to seek out great employment and to feel welcomed in the workplace.

    What you can do

    • The next time you advertise for a job, think about how you can encourage people with disability to consider the role.
    • Make sure your recruitment process is open and inclusive
    • Check out Life Without Barriers’ recruitment opportunities -visit our careers section.

  • 4. Lack of assistance with job seeking

    People with disability experience more hardship when looking for job opportunities and insufficient support to sustain employment in a way that they feel included and valued in the workplace.

    What you can do

    Be a champion employer for people with disability. In order to change the experiences of people with disability across Australia, we all need to join together and positively influence the experiences people with disability have in their search for work.

  • 5. Difficulty in accessing skills training and education

    People with disability are just like every other job seeker and employee and may require support and training.

    What you can do

    Challenge some of your own assumptions and talk with candidates about what they might need in the same way you engage all other potential candidates!

  • 6. Workplace flexibility

    While many workplaces now have flexible work arrangements, they may not fully consider the needs of people with disability – both physical and wellbeing needs.

    What you can do

    Think about what else you can do to ensure your workplace is fully accessible and inclusive. Often this starts with a simple and positive conversation like, “What can we do to make your workplace environment comfortable for you.”

Resources to get you started

Access resources and information about barriers faced by people with disability and what you can do to change it.

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We are proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Recruiter through the Australian Network on Disability (AND). Find out how you can also become a Disability Confident Recruiter.