Almost one-third of people receiving Disability Employment Services (DES) from one Dubbo provider have found jobs in the past seven months.
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Sureway Employment and Training reported of the successes as it urged the community to continue working together to provide equal opportunity.
The organisation began delivering DES, which helps people with disability find and keep a job, on July 1, a Paralympian assisting with the rollout.
Since then more than 30 people have registered with it for the service to date, Sureway reports.
Sureway area manager Dylan Sinclair said Dubbo’s disability community was making great headway in entering the workforce.
More than 3 per cent of people assisted into employment by the service since July 1 formally identified as having a disability, Sureway reports.
“I think that these figures show not only that local employers are becoming more educated on hiring people with disability, but that these jobseekers are getting the right support to prepare them for the workplace.”
A big thank you must go out to all of our fantastic employers who have provided opportunities for local people...
- Sureway area manager Dylan Sinclair
But at times lack of understanding and even stigma remained barriers.
Many people still thought of disability as physical or intellectual only, Mr Sinclair said.
“However in the modern world, mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety account for a significant proportion of Australians living with disability,” he said.
The Sureway area manager said continued improvement could only be achieved with the help of the community.
“A big thank you must go out to all of our fantastic employers who have provided opportunities for local people over the past seven months,” Mr Sinclair said.
“To keep our community moving forward we must work together as a team, and we will continue to support local businesses and local people to do just this.”
Paralympic gold medallist Scott Reardon came to Dubbo for a public event run by Sureway to educate the community.
Mr Reardon, who underwent a leg amputation after a farming accident at the age of 12, urged employers on the day to take a chance on someone with a disability.
“There’s a preconception that someone with a disability might require extra effort,” he said.
“But I really implore business owners to realise the significant benefits that someone with disability can bring to your workplace.”