Sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference.
For 23 year old Kirsten, the Employment Assisance Fund has made a life changing difference by giving her the chance to take on her first job.
Kirsten has spina bifida, which results in a physical disability, and uses a wheelchair to get around. Through her Disability Employment Services provider, Job Focus, Kirsten was offered a position as a drive-thru operator at McDonald’s Restaurant in Melbourne. The only problem? Kirsten’s chair was too low for the job.
Job Focus helped Kirsten’s employer apply to the Employment Assisance Fund for a power wheelchair that could raise her to the right height for the drive-thru.
The Employment Assisance Fund is an Australian Government scheme that pays for the costs involved in modifying the workplace or purchasing special or adaptive equipment for eligible employees with disability.
With help from the Employment Assisance Fund and Job Focus, Kirsten has been able to join the workforce for the first time.
‘I’m really glad to be working. I wouldn’t have been able to take on this job without help from the Employment Assisance Fund—it made all the difference’, she said.
To get work you may need some adjustments—Disability Employment Services and the Employment Assisance Fund can help. At your interview, you may also like to draw you employer’s attention to the Employment Assisance Fund and let them know that this support is available.
More information?