Vica
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.
‘Funny how lots of people can work from home when it suits but total inflexibility and exclusions apply to the person with a disability when they are trying to enter the workforce.’
Vica uses a wheelchair and recently applied for a position as a local area coordinator for an NDIS partner provider.
She said she applied for the position not just to utilise her ‘highly appropriate skills and experience’ but because the selection criteria specifically stated ‘lived experience’ of disability.
After Vica applied she received a phone call and was asked where she wanted to work. She told them her preference was to work in the main town in the region.
They told her the position was based in a smaller town, a one-hour commute from the main town. They refused to negotiate and told her if she didn’t want to work where the position was based she should withdraw her application.
‘This in itself shows total lack of understanding of how a person might manage their disability,’ Vica said
Vica decided to visit the office and found it was unsuitable for a wheelchair user.
Entry to the office was via a small elevator, which is confining and can be frightening for a wheelchair user. The buzzer in the reception area was inaccessible to a person in a wheelchair, and carpeted areas throughout the office would have made self-propelling a wheelchair extremely difficult. She wouldn’t have been able to work there.
When Vica pointed out the issues, the provider told her they have a three-year contract and would not be moving or modifying the office in that time.
Vica complained to the relevant minister and received ‘a spurious inaccurate reply’.
‘How on earth is the person with a disability going to increase their representation in the workforce when these inflexible, non-negotiable, archaic recruitment practices remain?’
‘Inclusion doesn’t just mean rhetoric in fancy documents.’
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.