Benefits for Business
Customers with disability
Being disabilty aware is not only the right thing to do, it also makes a ton of business sense. One in five Australians has some form of disability, a huge under-served market. There’s a lot to be gained from ensuring your products and services work for customers with disability. Check out these examples across the following industries:
Tourism
People with disability have money to spend.
Tap into this market and expand your economic footprint
Employing people with disability
Businesses who hire people with disability consistently report a competitive advantage
Creating better allies
Disability Inclusion Action Plans
Disability Action Plans are a great start. We absolutely need them as a proactive approach to prevent discrimination and to reduce and remove barriers for people with disability. But how do you make sure your plans don’t just end up collecting dust on your shelf? How do you make them work?
You engage your people in the cause.
Participating in a Let’s Talk Disability workshop takes disability out of a hypothetical space. It moves the conversation away from what is often fear-based compliance or tick boxes. Let’s Talk Disability encourages learning and conversations with people with disability in a real, honest and open format. A Disability Action Plan on its own may not change your workplace culture around disability but meeting people with disability and hearing their stories will do that and more.
Better employment outcomes for people with disability
You can work to change this by setting employment targets to increase the number of people with disability employed by your organisation or business. The following resource provides case studies and offers best practice examples for how to do this:
Most recently, the Australian Public Service Sector set national employment targets for people with disability. More about that here:
To welcome applicants with disability, start at the beginning. Make sure your organisation’s position descriptions are welcoming and open to candidates with disability. Some excellent tips on how to do that here:
More resources:
A TV series that looks beyond first impressions and highlights the journey to employment for many people with disability
Aired on the ABC, Employable Me follows people with neuro diverse conditions such as Autism and Tourette Syndrome as they search for meaningful employment. Join …
An accessibility checklist for hosting events
When organising an event, whether a meeting, conference or team Christmas party, there are many aspects to ensuring that it is enjoyed by everybody attending. …
An employer toolkit from Job Access Australia featuring short videos and downloadable resources
The toolkit will support your business or organisation in hiring people with disability. The toolkit has been developed by Job Access Australia, the national hub …
Success stories from businesses embracing a diverse workforce
Research has shown businesses that provide a more inclusive workforce have higher rates of employee retention and workplace satisfaction. The See the Possibilities campaign aims …
It’s great to talk with children about disability. A terrific collection of books to start the conversation
Battling prejudice in adulthood is about normalising society during childhood. So engaging children at an early age to discuss disability is a great way to …
Writing and talking about disability; how to use the right language
Language is a very powerful tool and can be used to create a sense of empowerment, pride, identity and purpose. Improper use can be harmful, …
Tips on improving accessibility for customers with disability
From the Australian Human Rights Commission, this resource provides practical tips for businesses on improving access to goods, services, premises and information for consumers with …