Diversity includes disability. One in five Australians have a disability. If you don’t have a disability, chances are you know someone who does. Disability comes with loaded imagery – we often have a set picture in our mind of what disability is and is not. We often don’t consider that dyslexia, cancer, degenerative conditions, vision and hearing loss, and mobility restrictions are all considered as disabilities and yet are often not disabling in the workforce.
If you are not thinking about disability as part of your business strategy, you are missing out on at least 20% of the population. This 20% of the population is also your recruitment pool and your customer base that has rightfully gained attention through the introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). There is no better time than now to build your business’ capacity to become more welcoming, confident and accessible.
We must remember that disability comes with traits that have not traditionally been considered as strengths – problem-solving on a day to day basis, perseverance, resilience, and empathy – the very skills we are looking for in our future workforce demonstrated by the one million Australians with disability who currently work in a wide range of industries, from entry-level to CEO.
By becoming a disability confident business, you will be able to tap into a broader talent pool who happen to have a disability, to retain your workers and to become an accessible business that your customers will want to visit.
Please contact us at AFDO to learn more about how our Business Inclusion & Diversity Services can help you to become a “Disability Confident” employer.
Contact:
Jim Valavanis
Manager – Business Development & Engagement
Australian Federation of Disability Organisations (AFDO)
Call: 0456 003 767
Email: Jim.Valavanis@afdo.org.au