Pulling out the stops to support Cassandra’s employment journey
Image: Cassandra Embling (2nd from right) and Mladen Jovanovic (3rd from right) at an end-of-year dinner with BindiMaps’ team members (Source: BindiMaps)
Cassandra Embling considers it important to make sure the people she supports are happy. In her role as a Customer Success Representative with BindiMaps, she gets to do just that.
BindiMaps is a mobile app specifically designed to help people with vision impairment to navigate indoor and outdoor public places with ease. It helps remove barriers to mobility, which assists with employment, independence and engagement with the community.
“Being blind myself, I have an appreciation for what BindiMaps can do. I love making sure our customers are happy with the product and enjoy interacting with people from different backgrounds,” says Cassandra.
Her primary responsibilities include ensuring customers are satisfied with the current level of service, on-boarding new customers, maintaining customer relationships, liaising between the product, sales and marketing teams, and conveying client feedback.
BindiMap’s Chief Operating Officer Mladen Jovanovic says, “Having Cassandra onboard has meant the world to us. She has a friendly personality and is well suited to her role.”
“In a start-up environment, once you launch the product, it’s easy for the feedback loop to fall to the wayside as the business starts to focus on more ‘important things’. With Cassandra helping us to go out to meet and engage one-on-one with our customers and collect feedback, it has allowed us to implement changes we did not know about,” he adds.
Being blind from a young age meant Cassandra was aware of the supports she required, including any adjustments in the workplace. She was familiar with JobAccess and knew she could speak about the Service with her employer.
“I knew I needed a screen-reader and discussed JobAccess with Mladen and our CEO, Anna Wright, during the interview so I could get the supports,” she explains.
Her employer lodged an application through JobAccess for the Employment Assistance Fund (EAF).
The EAF provides financial assistance for employers and people with disability to help to cover the cost of making reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
JobAccess organised a free workplace assessment for Cassandra to help identify what modifications or equipment will best meet her needs and help her do the job.
“In addition to the screen-reader, the assessor recommended a Braille Display for proofreading and a Bluetooth keyboard. These are great solutions, helping me pick up on any mistakes and improving my overall efficiency at work,” says Cassandra.
There was minimal turnaround time from lodging the application to making the supports available for Cassandra in the workplace.
Mladen says, “It just blew us away, the speed and efficiency were phenomenal. The process was clear, and there were no barriers. It was refreshing to deal with someone who is ready to help you. And, JobAccess is genuinely there to help.”
Cassandra believes JobAccess plays a vital role in getting more people with disability in the workplace. “The efficiency of the service and ease of use stood out for me. The unemployment rate among people with disability is high, and it’s great to have a practical, effective Government service to help them get to work.”
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