There's nothing more empowering than being able to pay tax.
Kurt Fearnley , (www.kurtfearnley.com) Paralympic gold medallist and author of Pushing the
Limits.
It’s not often that you hear someone saying how great it is to pay tax! Paying tax means that first and foremost that you are working and earning an income, which more often than not leads to better physical and mental well-being as well as the obvious financial benefits. Kurt Fearnley has crawled the length of the Kokoda Trail and won three Paralympic gold medals and seven world championships. If he says that paying tax is more empowering than anything else, it’s hard to argue.
Enjoy the read.
Lucy Macali, General Manager, NDRC
It’s difficult to believe it’s a full year since we lost Stella Young. Funny, smart, warm, wise, at times discomfiting, Stella entertained us, informed us and educated us, all the while challenging our perceptions about people with disability. She won’t be forgotten, and nor should the challenges she laid out for us. A year on from Stella’s passing, it’s worth remembering her contribution and reflecting on the extent to which we are meeting those challenges. In Stella’s own words, no amount of smiling at a flight of stairs ever turned it into a ramp...
For a reminder of Stella’s sparkling presence, grace and humour, take a look at this clip
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxrS7-I_sMQ) with her talking about ‘inspiration’, what constitutes achievement and the objectification of disability.
What a great day December 3 was for thousands of people around the country!
Businesses and organisations across the nation held events and celebrations to mark the occasion. Here’s a bit of a wrap up of how some of our partners and alumni members marked this important day.
 Crown Resorts launched its Access and Inclusion Plan, with Kurt Fearnley, author of this month's opening quote, as guest speaker. Incredibly, this was done in person in both
Melbourne and Perth on the same day!


Medibank held an awareness-raising barbeque for its staff featuring a demonstration game of wheelchair basketball and guest speaker who spoke about his personal experience of acquiring disability. The NDRC's Simon Gray also addressed the crowd.
 PwC hosted the Australian Network on Disability’s annual celebratory cocktail party
(always lovely to get along to).
 The National Disability Insurance Agency ran a range of events right around the country.
It also featured a statement from the 2015 Patron for International Day of People with
Disability, John Walsh AM on its website. In the statement
(www.ndis.gov.au/news/news-ipwd), Mr Walsh talks about how critical is to work on removing barriers and how “Together, we can make Australia accessible and inclusive for all’.
 Renewal SA, Adelaide Hills Council, Queensland Rail and Virgin Australia each participated in disability awareness training with their respective NDRC Account
Managers, Greg Parry in SA and Gareth Wyatt in Queensland.

The Department for Child Protection and Family Support in WA launched its disability toolkit for use across the agency.

The University of Technology Sydney launched its Access and Inclusion Plan 2015-19
(www.uts.edu.au/sites/default/files/article/downloads/UTS%20access%20and%20inclus ion%20plan%202015%20-%202019.pdf), at an event featuring guest speaker and
Chairman of Lifeline, John Brogden AM on mental health in the workplace.

The Australian Red Cross Blood Service ran a series of webinars about unconscious bias, disability and support within the workplace, lead by the NDRC’s Simon Gray and mindfulness sessions for better mental health.

The Australian Red Cross held a lunchtime session on ‘mythbusting’ – again, featuring a speaker from the NDRC team, Natalie Anderson.

Sydney Local Health District promoted the day and its commitment to disability and employment via its FaceBook page (www.facebook.com/SydneyLHD). It also put out a press release ‘Celebrating all abilities’
(www.slhd.nsw.gov.au/media/news_stories/2015/151203.pdf) which features the always smiling Justin Dewhurst, NDRC Account Manager.
 The ACCC took the opportunity to launch its Disability Action Plan 2015-18
(www.accc.gov.au/about-us/australian-competition-consumercommission/accountability/disability-action-plan) and featured a story in its internal communications about a candidate with disability who secured his role with the support of the NDRC over the course of the year.
And finally, St John of God Health Care, employer of over 13,500 caregivers across Australia, published a detailed overview of its commitment to the employment of candidates with disability
(www.sjog.org.au/about_us/media_and_publications/news_archive/removing_barriers.asp
x) in a wonderful piece we encourage you to read. Choice quotes from the release’s author and disability champion extraordinaire Neal Murphy include;
People with disability have the skills, they have the talents, they just don’t have the opportunity.

What I have discovered through driving this recruitment process within St John of God
Health Care is that there is in fact very little prejudice in real terms when it comes to employment of people with disability. What there is though is an abundance of fear and misinformation which unwittingly adds to the already insurmountable barriers faced by people with disability in seeking employment.
If there is to be real change for people then we have to commit to real purposeful engagement with those who can support such changes to occur. People with disability deserve to experience the deep sense of purpose and satisfaction that employment provides.
We at NDRC hope you were able to attend an event and celebrate too! If you have more events you would like to share, drop us a line at mailto: jobs.ndrc@workfocus.com.
Making documents accessible is an easy way to make your organisation more disability friendly.
Media Access Australia is a not for profit organisation dedicated to increasing access to media and technology for people with disability. Its Service Providers Accessibility Guide is a hands-on, step-by-step guide to help you prepare and deliver accessible online content and communications.
It includes information about things such as:
 setting up a new computer for a person with disability
 formatting internal documents in disability friendly way
 creating accessible websites
 ensuring that people with disability can access important social media messages.
Have a look here (www.mediaaccess.org.au/digitalaccessibilityservices/ndisnewworld/) for more information, or contact the NDRC for a fact sheet.
A few tips from SANE Australia
What with an endless to-do list, crowded shopping centres, financial stress, and the round of social events followed by the actual day itself, what is supposed to be a time of celebration can easily become extremely stressful. There are also many people who feel even more acutely isolated, marginalised or in emotional pain at this time. Even holidays, with their break in routine, and possibly a whole new raft of demands, can be a difficult time.
SANE Australia says that looking after yourself is an important and often overlooked part of good mental health at Christmas. Seeing Christmas as an event that you choose to participate in as much, or as little, as you want can make a big difference to your mental health. Likewise, keeping your expectations of others, and of Christmas itself, realistic and in perspective will help—unfortunately, people don’t magically become kinder, gentler, and more patient at this time.

For more practical tips from SANE on how to look after yourself at Christmas take a look here (www.mindfulemployer.org/blog/157-make-christmas-work-for-you).
Register now for our upcoming seminar 17 March 2016
The seminar will be held at the beautiful Henry Jones Art Hotel.
Make sure you register your interest and share this opportunity with your Tasmanian colleagues so they don’t miss out.
REGISTER NOW (www.eventbrite.com.au/e/getting-to-yes-seminar-for-employers-hobarttickets-18815911899)
If you have any questions please mailto:gettingtoyes.ndrc@workfocus.com
.
WE WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FOLLOWING EMPLOYERS THAT RECENTLY JOINED AS PARTNERS OF
THE NDRC – WELCOME ABOARD!
 EPA Victoria

Australian Catholic University, NSW
 HealthShare NSW

Museum Victoria

Macquarie Bank

Qantas
If you would like to join our growing list of partners and ensure you are accessing the broader talent pool that people with disability represents, mailto:gettingtoyes.ndrc@workfocus.com
or call us on 1800 464 800.
IT’S BEEN A BIG YEAR AT THE NDRC WITH MANY NEW PARTNERSHIPS MADE, POSITIONS FILLED AND PEOPLE
WITH DISABILITY PLACED INTO LONG TERM EMPLOYMENT.
The NDRC’s latest Getting to Yes! seminar was held in Adelaide this month and was a great success, with more than 80 people attending and 48 different employers represented. No doubt it’s been a big year in your organisation too, with many challenges faced and met.
Hopefully your business is better placed financially, structurally, and in terms of mental wellness and accessibility at the end of the year than it was at the beginning. We at the
NDRC wish you a merry Christmas, a wonderful and fulfilling new year, and a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday period.

WHEN IT COMES TO BUILDING AUSTRALIAN BUSINESSES' DISABILITY CONFIDENCE, THE NDRC TEAM FIRMLY
BELIEVES THE MORE THE MERRIER!

Penrith City Council

TAL

City of Greater Bendigo

Lavan Legal
 Prudential Investment Company of Australia (PICA)
 Australian Red Cross
 Medibank
 Teachers Federation Health
 MEGT (Australia) Ltd.
 City of Stirling
 South Eastern Sydney Local Health District

City of Melbourne

Baptistcare

Adelaide Hills Council

Renewal SA

Department of Justice NSW

Maroondah City Council

Super Retail Group

Haigh's Chocolate
 Ernst & Young

Department for Child Protection & Family Support –WA
 Sydney Local Health District
 Jacobs
 Hays Recruitment
 James Cook University
 Lifestyle Solutions

State Library of Queensland
 UHG

Cummins Inc.

Allianz Assistance

Department of Communities, Child Safety & Disability Services


Microsoft Australia
 Queensland Rail
 Spotless Group Ltd
 KPMG
 Maitland City Council
 Ashfield Council

Canon Australia
 Bank Australia (prev. Bankmecu)

Department of Health and Human Services Victoria

Tatts Group

Australian Red Cross Blood Service VIC

Federation University Australia

Foodco Group

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research

University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)

Sofitel Melbourne on Collins
 L’Oréal
 Deloitte
 Department of Immigration and Border Protection SA
 University of Southern Queensland
 Australian Catholic University, NSW
 HealthShare NSW
 Museum Victoria

Macquarie Bank

Qantas
THE NDRC WORKS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYING CANDIDATES WITH
DISABILITY ACROSS THE ORGANISATIONS WE PARTNER WITH, INCREASING THEIR OVERALL ‘FITNESS’ LEVEL
WHEN IT COMES TO DISABILITY AND EMPLOYMENT.
 ANZ
 Active Monash
 Anglicare WA
 Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM)
 Australia Post


Australian Taxation Office
 Ballarat YMCA
 Bankstown City Council
 City of Whittlesea
 Commonwealth Bank of Australia
 Computershare

Crown Resorts
 Deakin University

Delaware North

Department of Defence

EW Tipping Foundation

Holroyd City Council

Jewish Care

Knox City Council

Mercer Australia

Mercy Health
 NDIA
 Port Stephens Council
 PricewaterhouseCoopers
 SEEK Ltd.
 SkyBus
 St John of God Health Care
 Stockland

Sutherland Shire Council

Telstra

Town of Port Hedland

VicHealth

Woollahra Municipal Council

Woolworths Ltd