5 Things to Know Before Working With People With Disability

Working in disability services, you’ll do work that matters. It’s your chance to make a positive contribution to your community every day. You’ll use your skills and caring nature for good: building relationships, empowering people and strengthening your community. And you’ll work alongside other caring people with strong values and a commitment to helping others.

Besides the meaningful and necessary nature of this work, the personal benefits of working in disability services are many. Flexible, satisfying work that allows for an outstanding work-life balance? That’s just the start.

This sector is pivotal in so many ways, especially now. It’s critical to a fair, accessible, inclusive Australian society and central to our economic recovery after COVID-19. Along with aged care, disability is the fastest growing industries in Australia. According to the government, one in five new jobs come from the disability services sector.

Quality, caring allied health and support workers in the disability sector are worth their weight in gold. Could you be one of them?

1. There’s a wide variety of roles to choose from

Leave your preconceived ideas about working in disability at the door. There’s so much more to this vibrant, diverse sector than meets the eye.

On the client-facing side, and perhaps the most visible, stand disability support workers. They work directly with people with physical or intellectual disability. But when you look closer, you’ll notice a range of people working quietly alongside them. Medical, allied health, operations and administrative staff: all support each others’ work in different ways. Each role is a crucial piece of the puzzle. Without one, the system as a whole could not function.

From everyday support to behind-the-scenes operations and management, potential career paths run in many directions and suit many interests. If you’re interested in dipping your toes in, becoming a disability support worker is an excellent starting point. It’s also one of the roles where employers are hit hardest by disability worker shortages.

2. Working with people with disability is equally rewarding across sectors

Disability work isn’t limited to just disability support services; it also overlaps with many other sectors. Take healthcare and mental health, for example — not to mention social work, community services and education.

There are many crossovers in aged care and disability, with older people commonly facing issues around mobility, sight, hearing, and cognitive functioning. 51% of people over 65 experience some form of disability (50% for men, 52% for women). That number rises to a staggering 79% for people aged 85 and over.

3. You probably already have most of the skills you need to be a great disability support worker

What does this work demand of you? Chances are, you’ve got a lot more to offer than you think. Employers emphasise that your transferable skills will set you up for disability support work. If you have experience with customer service, caring roles in other sectors like aged care or child care, hospitality or travel and tourism, you might already be most of the way there!

4. Your work will have a positive impact on a sector in flux

Recently, waves of change have rocked the disability sector. From the newly implemented NDIS to the mass disruption caused by COVID-19, things have certainly not been easy.

One of the flow-on effects is that the demand for disability support workers is skyrocketing. Disability support workers are now the second most in-demand occupation post-COVID. Some estimate that to keep up, the workforce will need to double in size, with disability work accounting for one in every five new jobs created.

For this reason, the Australian government has placed disability services on the Priority Skills List. As a result, plenty of government-funded courses are available in Disability Support, which may mean that you can take a Certificate IV in Disability for very cheap — or even for free. (This will depend on your state’s funding scheme and eligibility). For further information, consult your state’s list of course funding.

Though the sector is facing some challenges, things have come a long way. Insider commentators say that, compared to five years ago, people have far more individual choice. Others have reflected on the power of technology to increase ease of access to services, such as booking medical appointments or interpreters.

Some predict that technology will make things dramatically more straightforward and streamlined in the next five years, with less admin and more time for what matters: people.

5. Changing careers? In disability support, being older is an asset

A career change at any age is a nerve-wracking decision. And as you hit mid-life, it’s common to feel like it’s too late to start something new. But when it comes to disability care work, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Working in disability offers so many worthy opportunities to be part of the change. If living your values through your work, strengthening your community and improving people’s lives appeals to you, then you’re exactly what the disability services sector needs.