Creating Accessible Teaching and Support

In today's globalised economy, embracing diversity has become a business opportunity that affords access to a bigger pool of potential recruits (especially useful in an increasingly limited labour market). The case for including people with disability in a diverse workforce is compelling.

Employers of people with disability have consistently found that they tend to have better attendance records, stay with employers longer and have fewer accidents at work. Most only require minimal and very basic adjustments at work, and staff morale and team relationships are enhanced. Organisations that practice equal opportunity have found that their public image improves, that they are more accessible and appealing to customers, and that their shareholder value increases.

However, people with disability have suffered from persistent employment disadvantage. Regardless of their qualifications they are more likely to be unemployed, to move out of full-time into part-time work, and to be paid less than colleagues without disability. This disadvantage is less pronounced for those with undergraduate or postgraduate qualifications.

Careers and employment services have a lot to offer in assisting students with disability. In an attempt to meet the needs of people with disability, many careers services have established special procedures or appointed specific personnel to assist students with disabilities on an individual basis. While these are welcome initiatives, wherever possible the needs of students should be provided inclusively: existing facilities and services should be made accessible to all students.

Here are some strategies for helping students to identify their career and employment options.

• Outline the realities of the chosen work environment and discuss how they might work creatively to overcome possible obstacles.
• If necessary, explain that there may be limited opportunities for them in their chosen field and discuss what other opportunities may be available. They might be able to take an administrative role in that profession, or work, for example, as a forensic as oppose to regular nurse.
• Discuss the challenges of job interviews and suggest strategies for meeting them.
• Don’t discourage the student or tell them they will definitely not get a job in the field. You can’t anticipate the extent to which an employer will be prepared to make accommodations.

When offering advice about educational pathways and future employment, you are not required (or legally permitted) to act as a “gate keeper” to the workforce. It is unlawful under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) for a university to refuse to admit a person to a course on the basis that the person is unlikely or unable to gain work because of their disability. A qualification may lawfully be withheld if the person’s disability means that inherent requirements of the profession or trade cannot be met (DDA section 19), but educational authorities are not permitted to pre-empt this.

Because of your knowledge of the profession you may be aware of limitations of opportunities for students with disability. Remember that technology is constantly evolving and may enable these limitations to be overcome. 

However, if you have concerns that a student is unlikely to get a job in a particular profession, it is useful to discuss this with them and provide information that can help them make an informed decision about their future. The disability service may also assist the student to meet their career goals, and may know of other students with disability working in their chosen field – there are many case studies (see below) illustrating the professional versatility and diversity of people with disability.

Staff should be aware that it is unlawful under the DDA to refuse to admit a person to a course on the basis that they are unlikely to be able to gain employment because of their disability.

Do not try to “counsel” a student away from their chosen career path: this may be seen as discriminatory. In the transition to employment, it is up to the student to negotiate appropriate work accommodations with the employer.

Mentoring programs matches job seekers or tertiary students who have a disability with mentors already in the workforce.  Mentoring has the potential to provide the job seeker with real world experience and opportunities to challenge negative beliefs, network with potential employers and develop personal/professional strategies.   This helps the person to become more competitive in that challenging transition from study to career.

Other benefits, which may flow from mentoring include increased awareness of the skills of people with disability and the benefits of employing them; challenges to negative sterotypes and clarification of essential requirements of job roles in the workplace.

An example is the Willing & Able Mentoring Program (WAM) which provides opportunities for:

• gathering information about the career environment they are heading towards
• refining interview skills
• experiencing the workplace culture (eg staff meetings)
• developing better skills in presenting a professional profile
• disclosure and demystifying disability and related workplace issues (eg workplace modifications).