Living with disability

Not unlike the rental vacancy rate, Australia’s unemployment rate has fallen to just 3.5 per cent. Meanwhile, there are more than 100,000 Australians with disability actively looking for work. That means employers need workers and people with disability make great employees.

More than 1 million Australians with disability of working age are unemployed and the unemployment rate of people with disability increased from eight per cent in 2003 to 10 per cent in 2018. But fast forward to today, and one retailer is bucking that trend. Coles Group has been ranked first out of 26 organisations for actively recruiting people with disability.

Voting – it’s how you have your say about who you want to represent you in local, state/territory or federal politics. You have the right to vote and your vote counts, so it’s important you’re prepared well before election day. It’s compulsory that everyone who’s eligible enrols to vote and votes on election day (or through another means). It’s also important to be enrolled well before an election so you’re eligible to vote when the time comes.

The outdoors is for everyone, and in South Australia, the government is investing to make it more accessible, with all-terrain wheelchairs and electric trikes now available at popular tourist spots.

The stories and successes of people with lived experience were celebrated across the globe on 3 December, during International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD). Challenging the way the community thinks about disability, and helping to grow a more inclusive Australia, IDPwD 2022 was underscored by the appointment of ambassadors from around the country, who pledged support to help promote the achievements and contributions of people with disability and champion inclusion.

We’re shining a light on another influencer with disability this edition, Green’s Senator, Jordon Steele-John. Senator Steele-John’s influence reaches well beyond social media – as a politician, he’s got the influence to change laws in Australia through his lobbying, advocacy and vote.

In its role as a global children’s charity, UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has developed the Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy (DIPAS) as a roadmap to removing barriers for children living with disabilities.

Soulaie Sheehan is a fabulous friend, colleague, and fitness guru. Like four million Australians, she also happens to have a disability.

Say what you will about social media, one clear benefit is the way it can connect us with peers from all over the world, elevate the voices and thoughts of people we might not come across, and – of course – serve as a source of alternative ideas for how to do life.