Watering plants, dropping off mail and shopping for office supplies is all in a day’s work for Emily Gardner.
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Ms Gardner, who has down syndrome, has her own microbusiness Go Get Em. Her parents Mark and Cassie were inspired to develop the idea from a similar set up in Adelaide.
Mr Gardner said the microenterprise was customised around his daughter’s needs.
“It’s a perfect mix for her, about 10 to 12 hours per week, because she has some health challenges and mobility issues. The four customers she has fits her need,” he said.
Mr Gardner has now used the lessons he’s learned to help other people with disabilities start their own microbusinesses through his own organisation Vanguard Business Services.
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The project is funded by an Information, Linkages and Capacity Building grant through the National Disability Insurance Agency.
Vanguard, with project partners InCharge, is helping 30 people with disabilities gain meaningful employment.
“In rural, regional and remote areas, the disability employment services are set up to get people into jobs that don’t exist out here. And they are full time jobs, but the reality is that people with disabilities can’t always work full time,” Mr Gardner said.
“In smaller communities there is so much need that if you can’t get a job you can make a job. We’re trying to set people with disabilities up with a clear process to get themselves out in the community in a microenterprise role, because they really fill a gap that is badly needed.”
There have already been enormous benefits since Go Get Em was started.
“Em’s microenterprise is not just something she does during the day, it’s a vehicle for her to achieve these important independence goals that the NDIS is also helping her to achieve,” Mr Gardner said.
“It really feeds into her self-esteem, her sense of community and being involved. It’s lifted her confidence to be able to take on more things which is building her independence and loosening her reliance on us as parents, which is moving her to her ultimate goal of moving out of home.”
Mr Gardner said all humans wanted to do meaningful work and be involved in their community, which was what Emily now had.
He said it was important for the wider community to understand people with disabilities could play a valuable role in the workforce.
Ms Gardner will soon start a second microbusiness delivering eggs with Farmer Brown’s Happy Hen Eggs.