Disability in the workplace

Careers and Employability offers a range of services to support students with disability.

Building your career is not only about your degree, but also about your skill development and how you prepare for professional environments. If you have a disability you might have more questions as part of your journey.

Finding and starting a new internship or job can feel overwhelming, exclusionary or difficult. There’s support in workplaces to provide equitable and fair access to opportunities.

There are also many services, resources and support available to guide you through and build your confidence while you are at university.

GradWISE

We’ve partnered with GradWISE, a program developed alongside Australian universities, to support and improve employment opportunities for students living with a disability, illness or injury.

The support provided by GradWISE

At GradWISE, we offer comprehensive support through four key stages, guided by your dedicated Career Coach:

1.

Key assessments and profiles
Your Career Coach will assist you in evaluating your strengths and areas for potential development. Together, you will create a profile that identifies the types of work best suited to your qualifications and aspirations.

2.

Coaching and development road map
We will collaboratively develop a coaching and development road map tailored to your needs. This plan may encompass internships, casual work, volunteering, and mentoring, all aimed at enhancing your competitiveness during the transition from study to work.

3.

Job placement and support
Your Career Coach will provide valuable guidance in refining your application documents, including resume and cover letter preparation. Additionally, they will support you in searching for job opportunities and preparing for interviews, ultimately helping you secure your dream graduate role. We also work closely with your future employer to ensure necessary workplace modifications, training, and ongoing support are in place.

4.

GradWISE alumni
After you secure your graduate role, our support doesn't end. We'll continue to track your milestones and assist you in staying on your chosen career path. GradWISE is here to provide support for as long as you need it, ensuring your continued success and growth.

  • To be part of the program, you will need to be:

    • An Australian permanent resident or citizen seeking roles in all states and territories
    • Currently enrolled University of Melbourne student (from any course), or a recent graduate
    • Not working full-time
    • Someone who identifies as living with a disability, mental or physical illness or injury.

  • Your first six months at GradWISE includes:

    • An initial meeting: An introduction to the GradWISE program and meeting your Career Coach.
    • An employability audit: Creating an individually tailored plan to allow you to map your dream in reverse. Within this audit, your Career Coach will help you to create a competitive CV and start to map the road to success.
    • GradWISE masterclasses: Monthly GradWISE masterclasses will introduce you to industry experts, the graduate application process, interview techniques and a range of different topics to help you on your employment journey.
    • GradWISE live: Creating a safe space and community to build social safety for you and other students/graduates. You can share your collective experiences and feel supported.
    • Peer support: Connecting you with other students/graduates and former GradWISE members who have completed the program and have been in employment for 6-12 months.
    • NeuroZone coaching: Brain and body optimisation coaching which works on the 10 foundational drivers to help you thrive within every aspect of your life.
    • Mentorship: Linking you with a mentor within your desired field to help you navigate the workplace.
    • Internships: Linking you into supported workplace environments to ensure you have the skill set, confidence and knowledge to be able to thrive within the work environment.
    • Shadow days: Introducing you to supportive employers where you can obtain different workplace experiences and build your CV and knowledge of different industries.
    • Applying for graduate roles: Graduate applications are open every six months - by this stage, you will have the confidence, experience and exposure to industry to be able to excel in the application process.

How to sign up

If you would benefit from taking part in the GradWISE program, sign up below.

Sign up

If you have any questions or want to find out more about the program, please contact GradWISE at GradWISE.Enquiries@wiseemployment.com.au.

What are your rights?

As a candidate or employee with a disability, you are protected by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) which prohibits disability discrimination. Additionally, the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) contains protections against adverse action and unfair dismissal. These laws mean you should be considered for roles equitably throughout recruitment, onboarding and while undertaking the role.

Employers are required to consider reasonable adjustments to enable you to meet a role’s inherent requirements. In some cases, an employer may lawfully refuse to employ someone who cannot perform the inherent requirements. This can happen even after reasonable adjustments have been considered, or where making further adjustments would cause unjustifiable hardship.

Sharing information about your disability

It’s a personal decision, and there’s no right or wrong approach. You may feel the need to share early as you need support or adjustments during recruitment or choose to wait until you’ve started a job. You might not share disability information with your employer at all.  In any case, the decision to share this information is yours.

Things to consider:

  • Do you need adjustments during the recruitment process? (e.g. level access to the building, rest breaks during an interview or accessible software or technology)
  • Do you anticipate that your disability might impact the work that you will need to do? (e.g. will you need written instructions for work tasks, specific lighting in the workplace or a quiet, low sensory space to access during the workday)
  • What are the inherent requirements of the role? Do you anticipate any impact that your disability may have on being able to perform those functions?

Workplace adjustments

Workplace adjustments (sometimes called reasonable adjustments or workplace accommodations) can be an important consideration in your career journey, and not all workplaces or roles will require the same adjustments. They are described as changes made to a job, work environment or policy that support participation in the workforce.

Adjustments make access to the workplace more equitable, while the inherent requirements of a role can still be performed. Some examples include:

  • Changes to the recruitment process (e.g. extra time or alternative formats)
  • Flexible work hours
  • Use of assistive technology
  • Provision of ergonomic equipment
  • Changes to physical work environment (e.g. lighting)

Your own circumstances will determine the adjustments you may consider requesting in the workplace. You would also need to think about each role or workplace independently, as each will be different and may require different adjustments.

Disability and Employment: Reasonable Adjustments (Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission)

What are the employer obligations?

There are many obligations under both state and federal law to ensure that people with disability are treated fairly in the workplace.

There are three key Acts:

  • The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Victoria)
  • The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth)
  • The Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)

Note: State and territory laws vary; you’re encouraged to check directly with state or territory relevant legislation.

Fair Work Ombudsman

An employer has a positive obligation to facilitate reasonable adjustments in the workplace to support you to meet the role’s inherent requirements. This means that they are responsible for implementing adjustments that are considered reasonable in nature. If an employer says an adjustment would cause unjustifiable hardship, they must explain why.

Placements and internships

Placements and internships offer many opportunities for your own career development. They are a great way to test your career ideas, develop your skills and expand your network of professionals working in your field of interest. There are many ways to locate internships – both as a part of your studies, and externally.

Employability Hub

Australian Disability Network

Identifying employers

Many organisations are recognising the importance of diversity in the workplace and have priorities, goals and plans in place to ensure their workforce is inclusive and diverse.

Some tips to identify these employers include:

  • Looking for inclusive recruitment practices:
    • Does the employer ask candidates if they require any adjustments during the recruitment process?
    • Is the process for requesting adjustments accessible and clear?
    • Are their recruitment activities accessible and inclusive?
  • Do they mention diversity and inclusion in company media or online?
  • Do they have a Disability Inclusion Action Plan?
  • Can you find any networks or groups within the organisation that focus on disability and/or inclusion?

Australian Human Rights Commission: Identifying accessible and inclusive employers

Register of Disability Inclusion Action Plans

How we can support you

There are many ways that Careers and Employability can support you in deciding whether you would like to share information with an employer, and how you might go about doing so.

Some ways we can help include:

  • Preparing for conversations with employers: We can help to plan what you might say to the employer, help to prepare questions to ask and consider what you would like to share or how you would like to approach the discussion
  • Support you to undertake a skills assessment or strengths assessment; this can help you to articulate what you might need when it comes to requesting adjustments. We could also step through job descriptions or selection criteria to work with you to identify where you might consider needing adjustments related to specific roles
  • Support you to identify inclusive employers, e.g. reviewing company policies or disability and inclusion priorities
  • Direct you to resources to support your understanding of your rights when it comes to sharing disability information and workplace adjustments.

Get career advice

Other support services

You’re not navigating this alone. Here are some other services and support available to you: