Disability inclusion at work: why belonging matters

two people walking. Disability inclusion in the workplace is really important for inclusion and belonging. The belonging is a real selfworth that you as an individual actually feel like you're being listened to and that you're valued uh in those groups. My name is Kelly Wheeler and I am a professional adviser for the National Disability Recruitment Coordinator with Job Access. A typical day for us can mean doing all sorts of um different things with our employer partners to not only increase their disability um recruitment confidence but also create these inclusive spaces not only in their mission to employ more people with a disability but to actually look at their current staff. Inclusion is how we can listen and work together as a group and best uh extract from our people what we need to make our business great. I think one of the most common misconceptions will be around work health safety. Employing people with a disability um doesn't mean that you're setting people up for failure when it comes to work health safety. And in fact, implementing workplace adjustments has been proven to not only reduce um work health safety incidents for the person needing the adjustments, but it also has a knock-on effect for other members of staff as well. It's really interesting as a mum of neurodyiverse children. It makes me help people uh learn to listen as well in the way that you can create really safe spaces to be able to ask people the questions so that you can get the answers to best support them to be their best um in the workplace, in the community, just in life in general. One piece of advice, partner with us. We um are government funded. Um, we have unlimited resources. Um, and the conversations never stop.