There is a lot you can do to support employees who have multiple sclerosis (MS). MS can affect a person in many different ways, so it’s important to be flexible. You can get funding to help with workplace changes, equipment and support services., Understanding multiple sclerosis, Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system. It can affect the way the nerves of the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves send signals to muscles. The experience of MS varies from person to person. People may have times when their symptoms improve, get worse or they have no symptoms at all. Symptoms can include: problems with control of the body - muscle spasms and problems with…, Making workplace adjustments to support your staff, Symptoms are unique to each person with MS, the key is to be flexible and provide a supportive workplace. You may need to review an employee’s job duties and needs over time, to help them stay independent at work. Following are adjustments you can make to support your employee based on their needs., Supporting daily living, To help employees with activities of daily living, you can: let them have a support worker as needed let them use a service animal at work make sure the toilets and kitchen are accessible for mobility aids and wheelchairs make sure their workstation is close to the toilets let them take longer breaks or more frequent short breaks consider whether they can work from home provide access to a fridge…, Supporting focus and memory, To help employees who have trouble with focus and memory, you can: give instructions in writing where possible prioritise their job assignments allow the employee flexible working hours allow the employee regular rest periods provide the employee memory aids like schedulers and organisers allow the employee to work at their own pace reduce job stress. See also our guide Guide to supporting…, Helping with tiredness or weakness, To help employees who experience fatigue or weakness, you can: reduce or remove physical effort needed to do the job and workplace stress schedule regular rest breaks for the employee away from their workstation allow the employee a flexible work schedule and flexible use of leave let the employee work from home provide ergonomic workstations – that is, workstations that are designed to be…, Supporting fine hand coordination, To help employees who need support with fine motor skills such as writing, you can provide: an ergonomic workstation assistive technology, such as voice recognition software, so the employee doesn’t need to type and use a mouse forearm supports for computer use pen grips for writing a page turner. See also our guide to Supporting employees with conditions that affect the upper and lower limbs…, Supporting movement around the workplace, To help employees who need support with moving around, you can make changes to make your workplace wheelchair accessible. For example, make sure hallways are clear and that the employee’s desk is high enough to fit their legs under. The employee should be able to access all areas in the workplace they need to use. You can also provide: accessible parking close to the workplace entrance an…, Supporting temperature control, To help employees who experience heat sensitivity, you can: adjust the workplace temperature such as by blocking direct sunlight coming though windows set up air conditioners and fans at their workstation let the employee take leave as it suits them let the employee to work from home during hot weather., Helping with speech problems, To help employees with speech difficulties, you can: provide them with speech amplification, speech enhancement or other assistive devices share information in writing, for example using email or a tablet make changes to the employee’s role so that it doesn’t require a lot of talking let the employee to take regular rest breaks., Supporting vision conditions, To help employees who have problems with vision, you can: provide the employee with devices to magnify written material provide the employee with large print material control screen glare by adding a screen filter to the employee’s computer make sure office lighting meets Australian standards and use extra task lighting where required let the employee take regular rest breaks. See also our guide…, Financial support for workplace changes, The Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) helps fund work-related changes, equipment and services to help people with disability to get and keep a job. To work out if your employees are eligible, see the Who is eligible for Employment Assistance Fund full guidelines .
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Find out how you can support employees who have intellectual or learning disabilities, brain injury, and other conditions that affect the way people think and process information.
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You can help employees who have difficulties with reading and writing and give them confidence to do their job and stay safe. This might include giving information in different ways and linking employees with support and training., Literacy at work, Employees need to be able to read and write in most workplaces. These skills can be hard for some people to learn. People who struggle with reading and writing can be more stressed at work, especially if they don’t tell their employer. There are a range of simple changes you can make to your workplace that can help. Keep in mind that people who have trouble reading, writing, and understanding…, Making workplace adjustments to support your employee, To help support your employees, you can: ask them how they best learn always make sure they understand by asking them to show you or repeat back in their own words what they’ve read create a glossary of common terms and acronyms so that employees can better understand ‘jargon’ and technical information write short, clear information and instructions with pictures, diagrams and summaries, instead…, Where to get more support, There are a range of training options, services and supports that can help: people who have difficulty with reading and writing at work support employers to improve workplace literacy. Did you know the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) may be able to help with the costs of workplace changes and support services? For instance, we can fund 1:1 support in the workplace for an employee. A staff…, The Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program, Employers, seeking to improve the language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills of their workforce can access free training through the Skills for Education and Employment Program. By working with a SEE provider, they can tailor training that is suitable for the workplace and the employee. For more information about the program, visit SEE on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations…, Disability Employment Service providers, Australian Government employment service providers like Disability Employment Services (DES) provide a range of help and support to people with disability and their employers. This includes coaching, mentoring and support on the job. To find a DES provider near you, go to our list of DES providers ., Reading Writing Hotline, The Reading Writing Hotline is a national telephone literacy referral service for adults. It can help people with reading, writing or basic maths by linking them to a group, one-on-one training or distance training. The hotline number is 1300 655 506 . For more information visit the Reading Writing Hotline website. The Hotline can also assist employers with literacy and numeracy training for…, Easy English services, Easy English or Easy Read translators may be able to help a person to better understand work-related information. They can break down complex information, explain it or change it into simple language, without ‘jargon’ or technical terms., Other training courses, Training courses through a Registered Training Organisation may help to improve reading and comprehension skills. For more information or to search for a course in your area visit the My Skills website.
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A workplace assessor can help decide what changes a workplace needs to support an employee with disability. They can also assess an employee’s productivity. Assessments are free through the Employment Assistance Fund or the Supported Wage System., Assessments for workplace adjustments, Employees with disability might be able to get a free workplace assessment when applying for support through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF). An assessment looks at what adjustments, equipment or services the person needs to support them to do their job. This is called a Workplace Modification Assessment. The assessor will visit the workplace and: check the physical workplace and work areas…, Assessments for the Supported Wage System, After an application for the Supported Wage System (SWS) is approved, an assessor will visit the workplace to check the employee’s work productivity. This is to help decide their rate of pay and any change to wages. The assessor will look at information such as: the employee's job description time they spend on each task the hours and days they work break times how much supervision they need. The…, About the assessors, Different workplace assessors specialise in different industries and areas of work. The Department of Social Services (DSS) has a list of organisations that are approved to do workplace assessments across Australia. This is called the National Panel of Assessors. You can download a full list of current organisations from the DSS website National Panel of Assessors page .
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Find out how you can help employees with physical disability. Staff with vision, hearing and physical conditions can thrive at work with the right support. There is funding available for workplace changes and services.
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You can do a range of things to help support an employee with cognitive impairment. Some cognitive conditions can affect problem solving, concentration and memory. A person may need support in one of these areas or more than one. In addition to the information on this page, you may also want to visit our article about supporting learning and understanding at work ., Cognitive differences at work, People with a cognitive impairment may have an intellectual or learning disability, acquired brain injury, autism spectrum or other neurological conditions. A cognitive impairment might affect how a person: thinks creatively solves problems concentrates remembers plans and organises. By giving your employees the right support, you can help them feel less stressed and frustrated. You can also help…, Making workplace adjustments to support your staff, Even simple changes like removing distractions, using reminders and checklists, and changing how you schedule breaks can help., How to encourage creative thinking, Creative thinking helps someone come up with new ideas or ways to solve a problem. To help employees use creative thinking, you can: create a friendly, open place to work and show that you value input from employees about how the organisation runs set up a buddy program where employees are matched with another employee who can help them to think creatively., Supporting problem solving and critical thinking, Problem solving is being able to find answers to problems by thinking in an organised way. Critical thinking is being able to look at all the information accurately and fairly. You can consider these to help employees with their problem solving and critical thinking skills: Reminders and checklists – employees can use these to look at the situation and give information about the problem. This…, Supporting concentration and memory, Difficulty in concentrating or remembering can be related to a person’s disability, and employees need understanding and support. Memory issues can affect how people do their job and stay safe in the workplace. To help employees focus and remember work tasks, you can: avoid or remove distractions – for example, divide workspaces with walls, move workstations away from other employees and reduce…, Helping employees plan and manage time, Preparing and organising work tasks gives a structure to each working day and can reduce stress levels. Employees who struggle with these skills may need support. To help employees organise, plan and manage their time, you can: set up a buddy system to give employees extra support and guidance encourage employees to use calendars, watches and timers with prompts have regular check-ins with…, Where to get more support, A cognition and communication specialist such as a speech pathologist may be able to identify any barriers in the workplace through an assessment. Your employee might be eligible for a free workplace assessment through the Employment Assistance Fund. Specialist employment agencies, such as Disability Employment Services (DES), who provide coaching and support on the job for people with…
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Cognitive impairment can affect how some one learns, understands and communicates. An employee may need support in one or more of these areas. There are a range of things you can do to support employees with cognitive impairment. See also our article about supporting problem solving, concentration and memory at work ., Cognitive differences at work, Cognitive impairment can include an intellectual or learning disability or an acquired brain injury. A cognitive impairment might affect how a person: communicates learns skills understands social cues. By giving your employee the right support, you can help them feel less stressed, more confident and able to perform better at work., Understanding the different ways people learn, People learn things in different ways. People often have a preferred way of learning based on their personal experiences. There are three basic learning styles: Visual – learning through seeing, you could use a diagram to explain something. Auditory – learning through hearing you could read out instructions. Tactile or kinaesthetic – learning through touching or moving, your employee may work…, Making workplace adjustments to support your staff, Think about how you share information, People with a cognitive impairment may have some difficulty with language. They may not have strong verbal communication skills. Think about the way you share and organise information. How you present information can affect how much the employee understands and remembers. You could also provide extra support and instructions in different ways., Using active learning, Some employees might learn better with active learning. Active learning means learning through, doing, things rather than listening to someone talk or reading a manual. Active learning can include role-plays, demonstrations, team activities, hands-on doing or games., Tips for training and giving instructions, To help your employees understand and follow instructions, you can: make sure you include regular breaks during training sessions, and time for new employees to walk around to explore the workplace give instructions in a quiet area with less distractions keep verbal instructions short and simple show or give instructions in the order that the employee needs to do the individual tasks check the…, Understanding industry and technical information, To help employees understand industry-specific or technical information, you can: create a glossary of technical terms and acronyms you use regularly offer employees more than one induction training session, or other training to build on the initial training rewrite detailed information so it’s clear for someone with little technical knowledge or industry experience avoid jargon where possible,…, Supporting people to communicate, Some people may know what they want to say, but have trouble ‘getting the words out’. To help employees, who have trouble communicating and expressing themselves, you can: provide speech generating devices, products that can help communication using signs, gestures, pictures, tactile feeling boards, real objects and printed words, may help provide tools such as graphic organisers, allowing people…, Helping employees understand social situations, Understanding a person’s verbal, and nonverbal behaviour and actions is important in social settings like the workplace. We listen to what is said, the tone of voice, body language, gestures and facial expressions when someone is communicating. If people struggle to understand social cues, they may miss things like: sarcasm or joking – some people may take what is said literally or as fact…, Where to get more support, Australian Government employment service providers like Disability Employment Services (DES) can support people with disability and their employers. This includes coaching, mentoring and support on the job. To find a DES provider near you, go to our list of DES providers . A cognition and communication specialist or speech pathologist may also be able to help with verbal communication in the…
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There is a lot you can do to support employees who are deaf or hard of hearing. That might include giving information in different ways and simple changes to workspaces. You can also get funding for workplace changes and interpreting services., Deafness and hearing loss at work, How an employee’s hearing affects the way they work can depend on: the type and level of hearing loss what industry the person works in the assistive technology available for them the support at work. Deafness or hearing loss may affect how a person communicates. It can hinder their ability to give and get instructions, join meetings, and interact with customers. , Understanding deaf and hard of hearing, Deaf or hard hearing can range from very mild to profound, also called complete hearing loss. Most people have mild hearing loss and communicate by speaking. People with complete hearing loss – who are deaf – may communicate in Auslan. Auslan, or Australian Sign Language, is the Deaf community’s language. Auslan has its own grammar and ways of making meaning and is not based on English. A deaf…, Making workplace adjustments to support your staff, If your employee is deaf - has profound hearing loss - ask them how they prefer to communicate. This may include lipreading, Auslan, written instructions or a mix of these., Supporting clear communication, To help employees who lipread or use visual hints to understand, you can: get the person’s attention by waving your hand where they can see it, or tapping them on the shoulder look directly at the person so they can see your face clearly avoid speaking in areas with little space or poor lighting avoid talking while eating or smoking listen attentively and use effective communication skills use…, Giving information in different ways, You can support employees who are deaf or hard of hearing. Provide information in different formats. For example: make sure all videos, such as training videos, have captions and transcripts use emails, whiteboards, written job cards or handouts to support spoken messages for staff meetings, use visual presentations, written agendas and meeting minutes provide webcams for those who use sign…, Using technology and services, There is a range of assistive listening devices and other technology that can support employees who are deaf or hard of hearing. These include: captioning and real-time captioning services amplification or FM systems – the speaker uses a microphone, which improves sound for the person listening with a receiver personal amplifiers hearing loops, or induction loops are connected to a PA system.…, Setting up work areas and meetings, There are a few simple physical adjustments you can make to help employees with hearing loss. You can: set up workstations so the employee is facing co-workers or entrances. This helps them see what is happening and not be surprised by people appearing suddenly let the employee have a place in the middle and towards the front of the room during meetings if the employee has better hearing in one…, Using an Auslan interpreter, If you have an employee who uses Auslan, there may be times an Auslan interpreter can help in the workplace. Auslan interpreters can work on site or remotely. Your employee may be able to get funding for interpreting services through the Employment Assistance Fund. Auslan interpreters are also available for calls using the free National Relay Service (NRS). For more information about the NRS,…, Financial support for workplace changes, The Employment Assistance Fund helps fund work-related changes, equipment and services. It helps people with disabilities get and keep a job. The Employment Assistance Fund can also be used for: Auslan interpreters for key training sessions or meetings Auslan awareness training, by a Registered Training Organisation for co-workers so they can support employees who are deaf. To work out if your…, Hearing aids, The Employment Assistance Fund doesn’t cover the cost of hearing aids as they are considered medical aids. A Hearing Aid Bank or the Australian Government Australian Government Hearing Services Program website Hearing Services Program may be able to help people who can’t pay the full cost of their hearing aids. What support is available? There is a wide range of support available from JobAccess…
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The Supported Wage System (SWS) lets employers pay an employee with disability based on their productivity. Learn about who can use SWS, the assessment process and where to apply., Matching pay with work, Most employees with disability work at the same rate as other employees. However, some disabilities might affect how much a person can get done each day. In these cases, employers can use an SWS assessment to decide a fair wage. The assessment checks how long an employee takes to do their job, compared to a standard time. The amount of work the employee can do in a given time is called their…, Who can use the SWS?, Employers or service providers can put in an application for the SWS. They can apply for employees in open or supported employment. SWS is available for: new employees with disability current employees with disabilities, if they can’t do as much work, risk losing their job. To be eligible for the SWS, the employee with disability must: be an Australian citizen or permanent resident be 15 years of…, The application process, You apply for the SWS online through JobAccess Secure . After you apply, the Department of Social Services (DSS) Assessment Team will check the application and if the employee eligibility. The employee will then start a work trial. An SWS assessor will visit to assess their work productivity. Visit How to apply for the SWS for more on the application process and information you need to apply. …, Getting an SWS assessment, After approval of the SWS application, an assessor will visit the workplace to do a free assessment. The assessor will arrange this. The assessor does an assessment with the employer, employee, service provider and, if there is one, the nominee. The assessor will visit at a time that suits everyone on an employee's normal workday. The assessor will look at information such as: the employee's job…, Review assessments, If an employee has a SWS wage under the Supported Employment Services Award, they will have a review every 12 months. They can have an assessment sooner. For example, if the employee’s job or work tasks change. If an employee is on a productivity-based wage under the Supported Employment Services Award, they will have one review. Additional review assessments can also be requested. For example,…, One-off payments for employers, As part of the SWS application, employers can apply for a one-off $1,000 payment. It helps cover the cost of employing a person with disability in a new job. The payment is only available if the employee: gets no support from a government funded employment service, such as Disability Employment Services or the NDIS is employed for at least 13 weeks, working at least 8 hours a week. After 13 weeks…, Learning modules for SWS under Supported Employment Services Award 2020, The DSS has a set of 5 online learning modules to help explain the SWS for people employed under the Supported Employment Services Award 2020. The modules are easy to follow and have resources that may help employers. Module 1 – Introduction to the SWS Module 2 – Benchmarking Module 3 – Collecting Workplace Data Module 4 – Preparing for and participating in an assessment Module 5 – Validation of…
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Employers and service providers can apply for the Supported Wage System (SWS) online. The SWS is a way to base the wage of an employee with disability on the amount of work they can do., Who can apply, Employers or service providers can put in an application for the SWS. They can apply for employees in open employment or supported employment. SWS is available for: new employees with disability current employees with disability, if they can’t do the same amount of work they used to, and they risk losing their job. The employee must be eligible for the SWS. There is information about eligibility…, The application process, You apply for the SWS online through JobAccess Secure. An employer or service provider applies online for the employee with disability. The Department of Social Services (DSS) Assessment Team checks if the employee is eligible. They will organise an SWS eligibility test with Centrelink if needed. If the employee is eligible the assessment team approves the SWS application. They usually respond…, Information you need to apply, To fill in the form, you’ll need a few details about: the employee – including the type of disability they have the nominee – if the employee has one the employer – including the type of business, contact details and ABN the job – including the employee’s role, start date and hours of work a week. You can search for an employer’s ABN on the Australian Business Register website. There is space at…, Getting help, If you have questions about applying for the SWS, call the DSS Assessment Team on 1800 065 123 . You can also contact a JobAccess Adviser on 1800 464 800 or through our online enquiry form .
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