People with impairment (disability)

The Queensland public sector is transitioning the view of disability so that it doesn't deny the reality of impairment nor its impact on the individual. Instead, it focuses on challenging the physical, attitudinal, communication and social environments to disable disability.

The sector's goal is to ensure an individual's workplace environment is accessible for employees with an impairment, instead of an individual changing to accommodate the workplace. To help realise this goal the sector has developed:

• Working differently: empowering disability confidence summary report (PDF, 1.01 MB)
• Empowered and confident: disabling the barriers strategy
• Public sector profile: disabling the barriers 

Resources

The Public Service Commission is developing resources to support agencies and employees as part of the Empowered and confident: disabling the barriers strategy.

In addition, all Queensland Government departments have Disability Service Plans in place to improve access and provide appropriate government services for people with a disability and their families.

View the resources (Queensland Government employees only).

National Disability Insurance Scheme

To improve workforce participation and employment outcomes for people with disability, the Australian Government — in partnership with state governments — is introducing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The scheme aims to support the independence, social and economic participation of people with disability and the scheme commenced in Queensland in 2016.

See our NDIS workforce strategy.

Statistics

• 1 in 5 Australians have a disability
• almost 90% of disabilities are not visible
• 78% of people acquire their disability at the age of 16 years or older
• 90% of employees with disability are equally or more productive than other employees
• Australia ranks 27 out of 27 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries for people with disability living in or near poverty (45% compared to 22% average)
• Australia ranks 21 out of 27 OECD countries for workforce participation of people with disability
• under 3% of Queensland public sector employees identify as having a disability.

Sources:

• Australian Network on Disability
• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 
• Australian Bureau of Statistics, Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers 2012
• Sickness, Disability and Work: Breaking the Barriers - A Synthesis of Findings across OECD Countries. OECD. (2010) (PDF, 4MB).
• Sickness, Disability and Work: Keeping on track in the economic downturn – Background paper. OECD. (2009) (PDF, 1.62MB)
• Graffam J, Shinkfield A, Smith K, & Polzin U 2002, Employer benefits and costs of employing people with disability, Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation (17) 251.