Do it smart: draw on experience & advice to reach
your inclusion goals
CONFUCIAN WISDOM
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action
steps.” Confucius
Welcome to the April edition of the NDRC employer newsletter.
This wise teacher, politician and philosopher just keeps giving, doesn’t he? At times it may seem
that the barriers to achieving our inclusion goals are insurmountable. Work pressures and
competing priorities can mean it is hard to stay focussed on making sure that your organisation’s
workplaces and recruitment processes are barrier-free and inclusive to all. Your commitment can
then be made all the more difficult if the innovations required for positive change are perceived as
‘disruptive’ in nature(I love that buzz word!).
By working closely with employers, NDRC Account Managers can help you to develop a tailored
action plan, with clear action steps focussed on increasing your organisation’s overall level of
disability confidence and competence.
Given the range of employers and industries the NDRC team has worked with over the years and
our growing network of alumni, we are a great source of information, experience and networks to
help keep you on track, arm you with the right tools to raise awareness internally and inspire
change.
Enjoy the read, Lucy Macali, General Manager, NDRC
Real stories - Disability fitness gains strength at the
Australian Taxation Office
The Australian Tax Office (ATO) is one of Australia's largest public service employers with a
workforce of approximately 20,000 people. As a big employer, it works hard to ensure it has a
workforce that reflects the diversity of the Australian community.
The ATO’s commitment to diversity includes employing people with disability. The
implementation of a disability advisor network to support employees with disability and a
comprehensive reasonable adjustment policy meant the ATO was well placed to employ
people with disability, but from its perspective more work was required.
As a large employer, introducing and implementing new ideas can prove a challenge. The
ATO knew the key to success was to enlist a specialist, so a partnership with the National
Disability Recruitment Coordinator (NDRC) was established in order to access 12 months of
support and advice at no cost.
The partnership got off to a great start, with the NDRC holding a ‘Disability Mythbusting’
morning tea for senior managers to raise awareness and break down some of the myths and
misconceptions about disability and employment. This was followed by disability awareness
training for members of the ATO diversity team later in the year, with sessions covering
information on understanding disability and mental health, interviewing for inherent
requirements or ‘job essentials’, managing disclosure and making reasonable adjustments in
the workplace to support employees with disability.
The NDRC also co-hosted information sessions for Disability Employment Services (DES) in
NSW, VIC and QLD, to give ATO staff an opportunity to meet local providers and give them a
greater insight into ATO recruitment processes, including tips on how candidates can secure
a role through the Australian Public Service ‘RecuitAbility’ pilot program.
The NDRC helped to further enhance the growing relationships between DES and the ATO
by distributing employment opportunities to providers in VIC, QLD and NSW.
To ensure disability confidence was embedded across all state divisions, the NDRC
supported the ATO to develop a training package for its newly appointed Workplace
Disability Advisors, to ensure they have the knowledge and skills to support employees with
disability. Training was delivered between April and September in 2014, covering all states
over 7 sessions.
The ATO was pleased with the results, providing the NDRC with feedback that showed the
impact of the training on its staff. “Your contribution has ensured that all participants have
been engaged in the training. The impression you left participants with will only enhance
their enthusiasm to raise awareness of disability in the workplace in the ATO”.
It is clear that the ATO is committed to being an employer that supports employees with
disability. Its partnership with the NDRC helped to increase the ATO’s overall level of
‘disability fitness’, having developed and implemented a range of good practice initiatives
that should ensure a sustainable approach to the employment of people with disability for
the organisation in the longer term.
Employer in the spotlight - 38 Days of Accessibility at
SEEK
SEEK was founded in Melbourne in 1997. It is a diverse group of companies that have a unified
purpose to help people live more fulfilling and productive working lives and help organisations
succeed. In recent years it has evolved into the largest global online employment marketplace,
operating in twelve countries with over 6,000 employees.
SEEK believes a key to its success is creating a work environment which is challenging,
rewarding and inclusive. It provides a culture of excellence and acceptance in its workplaces
and celebrates the diversity of employees that contribute to its success as an organisation.
As part of its commitment to inclusion, SEEK initiated an internal campaign called 38 days of
Accessibility to look at ways to design a more accessible website for its customers
worldwide. Over 38 days, Jason Jinks (Producer) and a Senior UX Designer released a series
of facts to educate SEEK staff on what it means to have an accessible website interface,
looking at a range of issues including font size, colour and contrast.
38 Days of Accessibility culminated in a celebration on International Day for People with
Disability on 3 December last year. A film was released to SEEK employees, showcasing the
work different teams had been undertaking to develop an accessible website. The film also
highlighted the support SEEK has provided team members with disability in its Melbourne
office and HR’s plans to steadily implement systemic change throughout the business to
better facilitate inclusion.
The NDRC was invited to speak with SEEK staff on International Day of People with Disability
about its partnership and work to date. The impact of unconscious bias and the perception
of disability in the workplace was a key focus of the address. A guest speaker, who is blind,
entertained the captive crowd with his anecdotes about using websites and the life
changing impact of modern technology such as smart phones on everyday internet surfing.
SEEK is committed to being at the forefront of change, especially in website user
accessibility and also practicing what it preaches when it comes to the employment people
with disability.
Getting to Yes - Join us in Brisbane!
WEDNESDAY MAY 13, 2015
Have you had a chance to register for the Getting to Yes seminar in Brisbane? Limited places are
still available so please don’t miss out!
The seminar will be hosted by Karni Liddell, radio announcer, journalist, Paralympian
swimmer and Champion for the National Disability Insurance Scheme in Queensland.
We have also confirmed guest speaker National Diversity and Inclusion Business Partner for
Australia Post, Diane Utatao, who will talk about her organisation’s ongoing commitment to
the recruitment of people with disability.
http://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/getting-to-yes-seminar-for-employers-brisbane-tickets15289087071
If you would like an invitation or have a colleague who might be interested in attending
please email us at gettingtoyes.ndrc@workfocus.com.
International Guide Dogs Day - 29 April
International Guide Dog Day is held on 29 April each year to celebrate guide dogs all over
the world and to recognise the role they play in assisting people who are blind or have low
vision.
Did you know that it costs more than $25,000 to breed, raise and train each guide dog?
Most pups are born as part of a special breeding program with training starting as soon as
they can walk. From eight weeks pups live with volunteers, attending puppy pre-school,
learning important commands such as ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ and socialising with other dogs.
At fourteen months, dogs are assessed on health and temperament, with suitable dogs
beginning twenty weeks of guide dog training. After this intense training, dogs are tested on
their ability to ignore distractions such as food and noise, navigate obstacles, travel on
public transport and find landmarks such as bus stops and cross the road safely.
A guide dog team must be a perfect fit, so every dog and handler is assessed on personality,
lifestyle and physical traits to ensure the guide dog is able to guide its owner safely and
independently from one destination to another.
To learn more about organisations that support guide dogs in your state visit Guide Dogs
Australia
Hints from JobAccess - Working with people who are
blind or have low vision
Complete vision loss or blindness refers to a severe loss or absence of vision whereas the term low
vision means a person has some degree of sight loss.
Most people with low vision will have some sight and may use a white cane, guide dog or
GPS navigating device to help with mobility.
When working with people who are blind or have low vision, consider the following:

Offer assistance, but don’t insist

Guide a person through a door or to a chair by letting them take your arm and move
with you

Guide them through the work building and explain its features

Ask if they have any specific requirements for their work such as adjustments to lights,
or screen-reading software installed on the computer

Speak in your usual tone of voice -do not raise your voice

Don’t touch the guide dog without asking for permission or distract it while it is
working

Introduce others in the room and announce when someone is leaving or entering

Provide specific directions that relate to the person such as ‘on your right’ or ‘in 2
steps in front of you’ rather than say things like ‘over there’ or ‘up the road’

Ask a Disability Employment Service provider for additional support if required
For more information about working with people who are blind or have low vision visit
JobAccess or call 1800 464 800.
Connecting with Disability Employment Service
providers
Employers often ask “where do we find candidates with disability – they don’t seem to apply for
our roles? While candidates with disability often say “where do we find disability-friendly and
confident employers that will provide us with opportunities?”
The NDRC can help employers to connect with local DES providers to ensure they are
accessing the broader talent pool that people with disability represent. Additionally,
employers can visit the JobSearch website and search by postcode to find a DES provider in
their area.
Our latest partners
WORKING WITH THE NDRC
We would like to acknowledge the following employers that recently joined as partners of the
NDRC – welcome aboard!
When it comes to building Australian businesses' disability confidence, the NDRC team
firmly believes the more the merrier!

Baptistcare

Department of Justice

Jacobs

Super Retail Group

Haigh's Chocolate

Ernst & Young

Sydney Local Health District

Department for Child Protection & Family Support - WA
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, email jobs.ndrc@workfocus.com
or call us on 1800 464 800.
NDRC alumni
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.
The following employers are foundation members of our alumni program and we look
forward to supporting them to sustain their disability employment efforts into the future. To
learn more, please visit each individual employer’s website.

ANZ

Australia Post

Australasian Society for HIV Medicine (ASHM)

Australian Taxation Office

Ballarat YMCA

City of Whittlesea

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Computershare

Deakin University

Holroyd City Council

Mercy Health

St John of God Health Care

Stockland

Sutherland Shire Council

Town of Port Hedland