Whether to tell people about your disability at work is your choice to make. If you’re starting a new job or already working, you might like to talk to your employer about your disability to get any support you need., When to talk about your disability, You should talk to your employer about your disability if: your disability affects how you might do your job your disability affects you working safely. If your disability doesn’t affect your work or safety, you don’t have to mention it. Deciding whether to talk to others at work about your disability is a personal decision. You should decide based on your own situation. There are some benefits…, Sharing information, When you talk to your employer about your disability, the law says you only need to give information about: how your disability might affect your ability to do the job or work safely medications you take that might affect your ability to work safely. You don’t need to talk about other medical or personal issues not related to your disability., Starting the conversation, If you are ready to talk about your disability at work, you might like to start a conversation with your employer. You and your employer could consider: writing an email to co-workers introducing yourself and saying what support you need writing something for your internal website or newsletter organising disability awareness training for your workplace . These conversations can help promote…, Tips for talking to co-workers, Your co-workers might be curious about your disability and how you manage it. It’s up to you how much to say. Be as honest and open as you feel comfortable with. If people don’t respond well to what you tell them, remember that it’s not your job to change people’s ideas about disability. And some co-workers might be shy or uncomfortable, or worry about saying the wrong thing. If you feel…, What people can’t ask you, Your employer or co-workers can’t ask: for personal details – for example, about how you live general questions about your health or disability – for example, how you got your disability. Note that it is illegal for your employer, supervisors or co-workers to make upsetting or offensive comments about your disability. If you are worried about how people act around you at work, or questions they…, Your privacy, There are laws that protect your privacy. That means if you mention your disability to someone at work, they can’t tell anyone else about it unless you give your permission. For more information, visit How your personal information is protected . You can find out more about the Privacy Act at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner website.
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Australia has laws to make sure that people with disability are treated fairly. However, disability discrimination and harassment sometimes still happen, including in the workplace. Find out what you can do if this happens to you., What is disability discrimination?, Disability discrimination is when a person with disability is treated less fairly than people without disability. People might also discriminate against relatives, friends, carers, co-workers or other people who know a person with disability. In the workplace, discrimination can happen: when you’re applying for a new job while you’re doing your job when you’re applying for a promotion when you…, Examples of discrimination, These are just a few examples of what disability discrimination at work might look like: A person who uses a wheelchair applies for a promotion into a job serving customers. They don’t get the promotion because the manager says customers might feel ‘uncomfortable’ A person who is deaf can’t get the same job training as other staff because the training isn’t in a format they can use A person with…, What is harassment?, Harassment is a type of discrimination. Examples of harassment that are related to disability might be: teasing a person because of their disability asking questions about a person’s disability, when that person said they don’t want them too Making fun of a person with disability through jokes or doing gestures., What to do if you experience discrimination or harassment, If you think you’ve been discriminated against or harassed because of your disability, there are different things you can do., Talking to the other person, In some cases, you might be able to work through the issue by talking to the other person. To do this, you could: ask for a meeting with the person to explain how you feel – take along another person, who is not involved with the issue, can sometimes a good idea write the person a message or email find out what work the other person does – this can sometimes help develop understanding and good…, Raise it with your employer, In the case of an ongoing or serious issue, you can talk to: your supervisor or another senior person your workplace disability contact officer, if there is one someone in the human resources (HR) department. You may also want to check if your organisation has its own complaints process you can follow., Complain to an anti-discrimination organisation, If raising the issue with your employer doesn’t help, you can complain to: the Australian Human Rights Commission Fair Work Commission state and territory anti-discrimination organisations. Below are some ways to do this., Making a complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission, You can make a complaint to the Human Rights Commission no matter where you live in Australia. The service is free and independent. Your complaint needs to be in writing. There are different ways you can send it to the Commission: fill in the online complaints form print off the form, fill it in and either post the form to GPO Box 5218, Sydney 2001 or fax it to 02 9284 9611. Your complaint…, , 1300 656 419, ., What happens after you make a complaint, The Commission can only look into your complaint if the law says it can. If they can’t deal with your complaint, they will write to you and explain why. If they look into your complaint, they might contact the other person involved, to get their side of the story. The Commission will then work with you and the other person to find a solution everyone agrees with. This is called conciliation. If…, Other support, The Fair Work Commission website has information on how to deal with different workplace disputes. The Fair Work Commission can also tell you how to make a claim if you think you have unfairly lost your job due to your disability. They can also help if you have experienced discrimination in some other way. There are also organisations in each state and territory that can help with information…
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No matter the industry, safety in the workplace is everyone's responsibility. It’s important to work together to make sure everyone is healthy and safe. , What you must do, Work health and safety law says that as an employee, you must work safely. This applies to all workers, whether they have a disability or not. This means you must: act responsibly take care of yourself and others work together with your employer on work health and safety issues. Each industry has its own work health and safety requirements. To stay on top of this, you can: talk to your employer…, Planning to work from home?, If you are planning to work from home, your employer might want to do a work health and safety check before you start. See our Flexible working arrangements page for more on working from home., What your employer must do, Your employer has responsibilities too. They must: provide a safe and healthy workplace to protect employees from injury or harm provide health and safety training make sure that all employees are covered by workers compensation insurance help employees return to work safely, if they experience a work-related injury. Find out more about workplace injuries, illness and compensation at Workers…, Changes to support employees with disability, For employees with disability, employers must also make any changes to the workplace to make sure they can work safely. For example, employers might: make changes to work areas, like adding ramps or better lighting provide equipment and technology make any changes to processes. Employers should also provide health and safety training and information in formats that are accessible to all employees…
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If you experience a work-related injury or illness, workers compensation payments can help if you need to take time off work. It can also help you return to work safely., What is workers compensation?, Workers compensation is a form of insurance payment to support people who get injured at work or become ill due their work. Some workers compensation schemes also cover injuries that are psychological – affecting your mental health. Workers compensation can cover: lost wages medical, hospital and rehabilitation costs expenses to help you return safely to work lump sum payments for permanent…, Workplace injuries and your responsibilities, As an employee, you have responsibilities in relation to workplace safety. You must help to create a safe workplace. You also must: report anything you think might cause a workplace accident or injury get medical attention if you are injured tell your employer about the details of an injury take part in the activities of your injury management plan. An ‘injury management plan’ is a plan the…, Reporting an injury or accident, You should report to your employer as soon as possible if you are: injured involved in or see an accident. You should take the following steps: Record the details of your injury. You can do this yourself or someone can do it for you. See a doctor who can assess you and decide what treatment you need. They should give you a medical certificate or work capacity certificate if you need time off work…, Where can I find out more?, If you have any questions about workers compensation, or you need other help, you can ask your employer or contact your local workers compensation scheme. State and territory compensation schemes: WorkSafe ACT SafeWork NSW NT WorkSafe WorkSafe Queensland ReturnToWorkSA WorkSafe Tasmania Worksafe Victoria WorkCover WA You can also find more information on the following websites: Safe Work…
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If you’re looking for work and live with disability, injury or health condition you may be able to get income support payments. Income support may also help if you can’t work many hours. Other financial support is available if you need: personal support at work help to get to work support to do an apprenticeship., Types of income support, Income support payments can help support you while you look for work or if your work hours are limited. Centrelink can help you work out if you can get income support and which type is right for you. To get started you can: visit the Services Australia website Living with disability page use Centrelink’s Payment and Service Finder – an online tool to see what payments you may get find a…, 132 717, – for Disability Support Pension, 132 850, – for the employment services line, if you are over 22, 132 490, – for youth, students and jobseekers under 22, 136 150, – for parenting payment., Work Based Personal Assistance, If you need help with personal care at work because of your disability, injury or health condition, you may be able to get support through Work Based Personal Assistance. Personal care might include help to eat meals, use the toilet or take medication. Work Based Personal Assistance may cover the costs of these support services in the workplace. If you are an NDIS participant, you may be able…, Mobility Allowance, Does your disability, injury or health condition make it hard for you to use public transport without a lot of help? Mobility Allowance can help cover your travel costs for getting to paid and volunteer work, training and study, or when looking for work. For more information, visit the Services Australia Mobility Allowance page ., Disability Australian Apprentice Wage Support (DAAWS), DAAWS is a payment to support Australian Apprentices who have disability. If you’re eligible, the Australian Government pays DAAWS to your employer. For more information about DAAWS, contact your DES provider or an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider in your area. Visit our Support to do an apprenticeship page for more on apprenticeships and traineeships.
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The Australian Government has a range of programs and services to make sure people with disability have equal opportunity. This includes advocacy, day programs, language and support services., National Disability Advocacy Program, The National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) can help you get free support to protect your rights as a person with disability. An NDAP agency can speak, act or write for you to make sure your needs are met. For more information: visit the Department of Social Services NDAP page email disabilityadvocacy@dss.gov.au use the ‘Ask Izzy’ website to find a disability advocate near you., National Relay Service, If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, the National Relay Service (NRS) can help you. The NRS lets you communicate with a hearing person using a phone. Depending on the type of call, a Relay Officer will help communication using voice, text or AUSLAN. For more information: visit the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts…, Day options or day programs, Day options or day programs give adults with disability the chance to learn news kills and feel part of their local community. Contact your state or territory government for more information:, ACT, Website: www.communityservices.act.gov.au Telephone: 02 6207 1086, NSW, Website: https://www.facs.nsw.gov.au/coniston/service-and-support-for-older-people,-people-with-a-disability-and-their-families-and-carers Telephone: 1300 555 727, NT, Website: https://health.nt.gov.au/ Telephone: 08 899 2400, Qld, Website: www.qld.gov.au/disability Telephone: 13 74 68, SA, For more information about programs in South Australia, please contact the NDIS: Website: www.ndis.gov.au/contact Telephone: 1800 800 110 Email: enquiries@ndis.gov.au, Tas, Website: www.dhhs.tas.gov.au Telephone: 1300 135 513, Vic, Website: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/department-of-health-and-human-services Telephone: 1800 783 783, WA, Fax: 08 9226 2306 Telephone: 08 9426 9200 or 1800 998 214 (free call) TTY: 08 9426 9315 Email: dsc@dsc.wa.gov.au Address: Department of Communities, Disability Services 146–160 Colin Street West Perth WA 6005 PO Box 44 West Perth WA 6872, Hearing Services Program, If you need help with the cost of hearing services, the Australian Government Hearing Services Program may be able to help you. These services include: hearing assessments subsidised devices, such as hearing aids ongoing support and maintenance for your device rehabilitation services annual reviews. For more information and to find out if you’re eligible, visit the Hearing Services Program…, Mail for the blind, If you’re blind or vision impaired, Australia Post may deliver some items for free or at a discount. For more information, visit the Australia Post Mail for the blind page .
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Oops! We couldn't find the page you are looking for, or an error might have occurred..., What might be helpful for you, Go to the JobAccess home page Let us know what you are looking for Contact us
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A common question JobAccess Advisers often get asked is, “what is reasonable for employers to ask as evidence of disability from employees?”. Our advice is based on good practice*. An employee does not have tell their employer, unless it impacts – their ability to perform the inherent requirements of the role, or their safety, or the safety of their co-workers. If any of these apply, employees…, Are you looking for support on workplace adjustments? Talk to the experts., JobAccess offers free and confidential advice on workplace adjustments for employers, people with disability and service providers. Our allied health professionals give tailored advice to meet your needs from the first point of contact. JobAccess also manages applications for workplace adjustments through the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) . The EAF gives financial help to people with…
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The Australian Government is making changes to help more people with disability find work., Inclusive Employment Australia, will soon replace Disability Employment Services (DES). The program will help create a more inclusive future where people with disability, as well as those with injury, or health conditions can get support to find jobs and grow their career. More information about Inclusive Employment Australia is available on the Department of Social Services website or speak to your provider
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