Brody
Content Warning: These stories are about violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation and may include references to suicide or self-harming behaviours. They may contain graphic descriptions and strong language and may be distressing. Some narratives may be about First Nations people who have passed away. If you need support, please see Contact & support.
Brody is autistic and has been employed by a disability employer for just over a year. He wrote to the Royal Commission to tell us his concerns about his workplace.
One concern is that there is poor ventilation and no air-conditioning. This means Brody, who has asthma, has to wear a respirator while on the factory floor.
Another concern is the staffing ratios. The sewing area has only one supervisor for nine workers. Brody says this is a problem ‘because any paperwork or training, support or tasks that are needed to be taken care of’ are too much for one person. One of the site managers told him ‘he will hire someone soon’ but Brody said ‘we have nothing useful so far’.
Brody is also worried about a wiring cabinet above the lockers. The door is always left open and ‘network cable, fibre-optic and power cables are just hanging out’. Brody has taken a photo of the mess of cables and he raised the issue with his supervisor and others ‘who don’t seemed to be concerned with this’.
Brody has seen troubling behaviour from the site manager which made him feel ‘disturbed’. The site manager approached a co-worker in the sewing area and bent over him ‘placed her hand onto her side and with a demanding tone’ asked the co-worker why he didn’t want to clean the toilets. The co-worker said he didn’t want to, twice, before he eventually agreed to do it. Brody said he spoke to the supervisor who talked to the site manager who said it was all a misunderstanding. So Brody spoke to the HR person but was told ‘unless the person on the receiving end was to come forward, nothing can be done’.
Brody is worried about this co-worker ‘because like many of my co-workers they are low functioning’.
Disclaimer: This is the story of a person who shared their personal experience with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability through a submission or private session. The names in this story are pseudonyms. The person who shared this experience was not a witness and their account is not evidence. They did not take an oath or affirmation before providing the story. Nothing in this story constitutes a finding of the Royal Commission. Any views expressed are those of the person who shared their experience, not of the Royal Commission.