Employment for People with Disability
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring people with disability receive opportunities to reach their potential through participating in the community and the workforce.
There are three types of specialist agencies to help people with disability find and maintain work, and one service type to assist people who can no longer benefit from their previous business service employment:
Business services: the Australian Government provides funding to support the employment of people with disability in a diverse range of businesses, including packaging, horticulture, animal husbandry, laundry, catering and woodwork. There are more than 18,000 people with disability working in around 362 business service outlets Australia-wide.
- If you require program information, please visit the Disability Employment Assistance Page
Targeted Support: a small number of people with disability formerly employed in business services can no longer benefit from employment related activity. Targeted support is delivered by whole outlets or by brokered service. Targeted support services are required to meet all of the Disability Services Standards, except for Standard 9 - the payment of award based wages and employment conditions.
Targeted support is a grandfathered program and there is no access for new applicants. People with disability requiring day support services, or non-employment services, should approach their relevant State Government department.
The Disability Employment Network: The Disability Employment Network (DEN) provides specialist assistance to job seekers with disability who require on going support to find and maintain employment in the open labour market. DEN is delivered by a network of organisations around Australia.
- For more information about the Disability Employment Network visit the Workplace web site.
Vocational Rehabilitation Services: Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) provide a comprehensive intervention, combining vocational rehabilitation with employment assistance. VRS assists people who have an injury, disability or health condition to work independently in the open labour market.
- For more information about vocational rehabilitation services visit the JobAccess site.
The Disability Employment Network and Vocational Rehabilitation Services are funded by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR)
- For general information about employment and people with disability visit the JobAccess web site.
All services funded by the Australian Government have to meet the requirements of the Quality Strategy for Disability Employment and Rehabilitation Services.