Disability survey
has attitude

A new study of employer attitudes to people with a disability has revealed that while bosses believe workers with a disability brought a good attitude to their work, many continued to think they would be less productive.
Participation, Kate Ellis said this was a ‘misconception.’
   Ms Ellis called on employers to recognise the many benefits of hiring someone with a disability and giving them a chance to have a decent job and contribute to the economy.“Employers who hire people with disability will often say that these are some of the most loyal, reliable and hardest workers they’ve ever had,” Ms Ellis said.
   “Yet employers with little or no experience reject the idea that a person with disability could be the best person for the job.”
   She said Disability Employment Services were there to help employers find that productive fit of a person with disability to a job, and assist with any workplace adjustments.
   “Productivity is all about matching a person to the right job,” Ms Ellis said.
   “Everyone needs time to settle into a new job and when it’s a job seeker with disability, Disability Employment Services can make this a smooth transition for the employee and their employer.”
   She said a range of Australian Government incentives and services were available for employers of people with disability and the Government had committed $3 billion over the next four years to assist people with an injury, disability or health condition to have the best possible support and assistance to secure and maintain sustainable employment.
   She said one such service was the Employment Assistance Fund which provided financial assistance to purchase a range of work-related modifications and services for people with a disability or mental health condition.
   Ms Ellis said more than 4,200 people received assistance from the Employment Assistance Fund in the 2010-11 financial year.
  

Source: www.psnews.com.au/Page_psn280f4.html