OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AUSTRALIA (OTA) SUBMISSION

Transcription

1 NATIONAL DISABILITY INSURANCE SCHEME RESPONSE TO THE NATIONAL DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT FRAMEWORK ISSUES PAPER OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY AUSTRALIA (OTA) SUBMISSION JULY 2015 Occupational Therapy Australia Limited ABN ACN / 340 Gore St. Fitzroy VIC 3065 Ph Fax info@ausot.com.au Website

2 INTRODUCTION Occupational Therapy Australia (OTA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the National Disability Employment Framework Issues Paper and contribute to a new National Disability Employment Framework. OTA is the professional association and peak representative body for occupational therapists in Australia. As of March 2015 there were over 17,000 registered Occupational Therapists working in Australia. Occupational Therapy Australia is passionate about improving the employment outcomes for people with disability. Occupational Therapists are health professionals whose role is to enable their clients to participate in meaningful and productive activities. They work in health care, vocational rehabilitation, physical and mental health therapy as well as variety of services in the disability sector. Occupational Therapists are leaders in workplace assessment and return to work across a wide breadth of groups. Occupational Therapists have a unique role in helping both individuals with disability get into work, and also helping employers make the necessary changes and adaptions to accommodate individuals with disability in the workplace. This OTA submission recommends a whole- of- community approach towards developing a new National Disability Employment Framework. The responses included represent views of occupational therapists working in NDIS launch sites across Australia as well as those working with disability employment service providers. Our submission addresses the 4 questions outlined in the discussion paper: 1. What can improve employment outcomes for people with disability? 2. What can help reduce barriers for people with disability seeking employment? 3. How can we promote benefits of employing people with disability? 4. What can help reduce barriers for employers hiring people with disability? 1. WHAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY? OTA believes work is a valuable role and part of occupation and social engagement - and not to be seen apart from community. OTA believes the best way to improve employment outcomes for people with disability is to take individual approaches for each person and assess how the disability impacts on roles, motivation, performance and perceptions from employers. Practically, this means focusing on a number of areas for individuals with disability in the workplace: Training Training and education that is delivered in a way that takes into account an individual s disability is crucial for improving employment outcomes for people with disability. This includes informal on- the- job training that is specific to each workplace and different work roles and also includes providing funding and access to ongoing formal education (such as courses through TAFE, universities an other higher education institutions). Vocational re- training is particularly pertinent for individuals who have acquired a disability later in life, with the impact of the disability necessitating them to change their employment and or work roles.

3 Example: an individual may be required to re- skill in order to obtain a light/ sedentary role, after acquiring a disability (usually physical in origin) which precludes them from engaging in medium/ heavy work. Training is also important for Disability Employment Service providers who will also benefit from specific training with regards to job matching, and the range of government supports and assistants available to them. Funding for allied health case management for people with disability in the workplace Funding should be allocated for Allied Health providers like Occupational therapists to have an ongoing role in the case management of people with disability during the process of job hunting, securing work and ongoing follow- up once in the workplace. This should involve individualised and multi- disciplinary assessment of needs and abilities for life skills and work skills, individualised and multi- disciplinary case programming, including mental health and physical rehabilitation programs to develop skills and capacity for work. Adapting workplaces to make them more accessible for people with disability It is essential that workplaces are taking the necessary steps to adapt their work so that they can include more employees with disability. Workplaces need to include the necessary aids, equipment and building modifications to ensure they inclusive for all to access. Through the correct public policy settings such as tax incentives, wage subsidies, industry assistance, grants and government co- investment strategies, work places can have the necessary incentives to make their work environments more accessible for people with disability and increase the longevity of employment for individuals with disabilities. Work places should also invest in developing networks of employers to support programs, return to work and disability inclusion strategies. These can be formal, informal, in person, online and through social media and will help with continuous coaching, mentoring and support for employers moving towards more disability inclusive business structures. It is imperative to involve case managers, consumers, allied health professionals, employers and employees in this network and dialogue process. Other community changes There are other important community changes that would improve employment outcomes for people with disability. Improving disability access to public transport, ensuring new work places have inclusive design buildings, ensuring there is more education around disability, and increasing the media coverage of disability employment would all contribute to changing the stigma and increasing the positive outcomes for people with disability who are employed. 2. WHAT CAN HELP REDUCE BARRIERS FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY SEEKING EMPLOYMENT? OTA believes reducing barriers in the workplace and the broader community is crucial to ensuring people with disability can find work and stay in work. Flexibility with DSP The Government has a key role in reducing such barriers. One are the Government must address, is around creating greater flexibility with the Disability Support Pension (DSP) to incentivize and enable people with disability getting and retaining work.

4 Not all people with disability can work all of the time or in full- time roles. The DSP needs to reward those who are seeking to work, but also take into consideration limitations and ongoing need for DPS support around their employment. Funded services that would reduce barriers to getting a job Funding supports that reduce barriers to employment would help people with disability find work. Such supports could be online courses, vocational training and up- skilling programs and include any and all opportunities to development mental and physical capacities, resilience fitness and strength required for the workplace. Examples include funding supports such as legal advice, resume assistance, funding for pre work clothing, licenses and registrations for onsite equipment operation. 3. WHAT CAN HELP REDUCE BARRIERS FOR EMPLOYERS HIRING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY? Reducing barriers for employers hiring people with disability cannot be left to market forces. It requires government intervention and the correct public policy settings. Industrial Relations OTA believes that employees with disability need to have more flexibility around their work contract arrangements. Many people with disability will not be able to work full time in the same capacity as able bodied employees. They need industrial protection and the right work place arrangements that will take into account their capacity, and ongoing physical, intellectual and mental health support needs. Such changes would also require significant funding for education and training for employers. Subsidised workplace modifications Often employers need to make significant and costly adjustments to their work environments to better include and support people with disability. Government subsidies or tax incentives for things like aids, equipment and building and machinery modifications to ensure work places are fit for all to access, would greatly reduce the cost barriers for employers hiring people with disability. Government grant programs could also be established to help employers make their workplaces more inclusive and accessible for people with disability. Increasing awareness Increasing awareness of the opportunities and benefits of employing people with disability is particularly important for small and medium enterprises. One occupational therapist working in a disability employment service provided this example: In my experience, obtainment of funding for disability- specific equipment and/ or environmental modifications via the Employment Assistance Fund, can be a great incentive for small to medium employers to employ an individual with a disability. Improving disability awareness would help employers to differentiate between reasonable adjustments for an employee with a disability as opposed to disability- specific intervention they may be eligible for funding via the Employment Assistance Fund.

5 Generally there is a lack of understanding of what supports are available to small businesses and these could be better promoted) Employment Assistance Fund, Supported Wage Subsidy scheme, and wage subsidies). 4. HOW CAN WE PROMOTE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYING PEOPLE WITH DISABILITY? Promoting the benefits of employing people with disability requires a whole of community approach to education and awareness raising. There is a role for employers, employees, media, government, business, education institutions as well as professional representative and consumer bodies. Some immediate and practical steps include: Government to continue funding and promoting Federal, State and local government awards and recognition for employers of people with disability and employees with disability. Government advertising campaign focusing on small and medium enterprises and the beneifts of employing people with disability. Government funding presentations to commercial organization, government departments, city councils and small businesses around the benefits of employing people with disability. Public and community broadcasters continue to promote good news stories of positive successful and longstanding workers and workplaces involving people with disability.