Some people with disabilities might be under the impression that it’ll be impossible to get a job and keep a job long-term. While it’s true that seeking employment with a disability has certain challenges that other job seekers don’t face, it’s also far from being an impossibility.
When you have a disability, employment can still be a reality. It’s a matter of having the belief that you can succeed in the job market, having the skills employers are looking for, taking advantage of any support services available to you and never giving up.
Let’s look at some reasons why it’s not impossible to find a job when you have a disability and some ways you can help yourself.
Some Employers Specifically Hire People With Disabilities
That’s right, there are businesses and employers in Australia who specifically hire workers with disabilities and employees who face other challenges or are considered to be in minority groups. While business is generally about making a profit, not every company views things the same way. There are business owners out there who want to give something back, and one way they can achieve this is through offering work opportunities to those individuals who face challenges the average job-seeker doesn’t have to deal with.
One way you can find companies that give people with a disability a chance is to search online. Another is to seek out job boards online that are focused on employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Alternatively, you can reach out to your online connections and see if anyone knows of any current or upcoming job opportunities for people with disabilities.
Get Work Experience Or Upgrade Your Skills
If you can find some hands-on work experience, not only does this help arm you with certain skills, it also proves to future employers that you are capable of doing a job and various tasks without your disability hampering your efforts.
Along with this, doing a recognised training course or some online courses will give you more skills in your repertoire that employers are looking for. Anything you can do to demonstrate that you have acquired certain skills will be a positive step in your journey to employment fulfilment.
Seek Out Government Assistance Programs
If you go online and do a search for Australian Government assistance programs for people with disabilities, you’ll discover there are quite a few options available. You’re definitely not alone when it comes to your goal of landing a job.
For starters, through Centrelink, you could team up with a local Jobactive provider. These companies help unemployed people find jobs, and that also includes dedicated assistance for people with disabilities.
A Jobactive provider can also give you access to free courses and training, self-development programs, access to their business equipment, and they’ll even go into bat for you with a potential employer.
There are other government assistance programs as well, including wage subsidies for employers who are willing to offer jobs to disabled individuals.
You Can Be Self-Employed
There’s no rule that states you have to be employed by someone else, whether you have a disability or not. Many people create their own job by becoming self-employed or starting a small business.
Not all businesses need loads of capital to get off the ground. As an example, you might be able to come up with a simple home-based business. One such example might be an accounting business that you operate from home. This way, you don’t have the added hassle of having to travel to and from an office every day.
Clients can visit you at your home office, can liaise with you online and much of your work can be done from the comfort of your own home.
Being self-employed is one possible solution to the employment dilemma and there are many tasks that can be performed from a home office environment. Just put some thought into it and see what you can come up with.
The Takeaway
It’s definitely not impossible to find a job when you have a disability. There is support out there available for you to take advantage of. It’s also worth putting some serious thought into something you could do from home and become self-employed.