Join the conversation about open employment in this free online event by UTS.
The Right to Work
People with disability historically have significantly lower rates of workforce participation than people without a disability. People with an intellectual disability face greater barriers to employment than most other people with disability. This increases the chance of people working in Australian Disability Enterprises or ADEs where they can be legally paid as little as $2.67/hour.
The Disability Royal Commission has highlighted exploitation, discrimination and other injustices experienced by people with intellectual disability working in ADEs and supported employment programs. Human rights violations are also experienced in other countries. Japan, for example, also has segregated workplaces and subminimum wages for people with intellectual disability.
People with an intellectual disability have the right to work on an equal basis with others, and to workplaces that are open, inclusive and accessible. Urgent change is needed to ensure fair pay, open employment and realisation of people’s right to work.
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is hosting a free online discussion with advocates and researchers to talk about disability, employment and human rights in Australia.
The event is on Friday June 16 from 11am-12pm, AEST.
They will explore such questions as:
- What are the experiences of people with an intellectual disability working in supported employment programs?
- What is wrong with segregated employment and subminimum wages?
- What advocacy are people with intellectual disability and advocates leading in this area and what changes do they want to see?
- How are families of people with intellectual disability supporting the calls for transition away from supported employment programs?
- What are key features of inclusive open employment?
- What good practice is already happening?
- What does government need to do?
- What can employers do?
- How can the broader community support this transition?
This event will be hosted Dr Linda Steele, Associate Professor at Faculty of Law, Law Health Justice Research Centre and Disability Research Network, and Professor Simon Darcy Faculty of Business and Disability Research Network at UTS.
Their guests will include:
- Brooke Canham, Policy Officer, Inclusion Australia
- Sindre Bloch, Manager, More Than Just a Job, Council for Intellectual Disability
- Jun Takagawa, Professor, Faculty of Contemporary Law, Tokyo Keizai University
To find out more and to register, please visit: People with Intellectual Disability and the Human Right to Work
Easy Read information about this event can be found here: Disability Employment Human Rights Event Final