Raising awareness about silent barriers for people with disability

Across Activ and genU, International Day of People with Disability (IDPWD), on 3 December 2024, is about raising awareness internally and externally about the silent barriers people with disability face, and demonstrating that no matter the size, every connection counts, Activ and genU CEO Clare Amies said.

“We will be celebrating our people, customers and employees, and the connections that count to them,” Ms Amies said. “At every opportunity, we want to break down these barriers to celebrate connections that matter, big or small, especially those relationships that make a critical difference to someone’s life.”

According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics, about one in five people with disability aged 15–64 experience social isolation, double the rate of people without disability at 9.5 per cent. Ms Amies said this insight made it an imperative for Activ and genU to ensure their customers and clients with disability could maintain connections to their community at every opportunity.

Activ has leaned into the official IDPWD theme, ‘Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future’, by highlighting two of our supported employee’s experience undertaking Leadership WA’s LeadAbility Course. This is a fully funded development opportunity to grow the potential of people with disability and those within the sector, who have the potential to lead and generate change.

Melanie Freidrich was one of the participants chosen for the program and she learned many useful takeaways that helped her in day-to-day life. These include how to manage difficult conversations in a positive and respectful manner and understanding the circle of control and how to positively influence outcomes.

Melanie’s group undertook a project on people with disability getting into open employment, specifically in the IT sector, titled Shift + Access. This project identified ways to integrate people with disability into open employment.

Melanie said hiring people with disability benefited the employer because people with disability take fewer sick days, are highly motivated and happy to have a job. This would help reduce the unemployment rate of people with disability sitting at 10 per cent compared to 3.6 per cent for people without a disability.

Activ also partnered with Leadership WA on a video feature to highlight this year’s IDPWD theme. The video celebrated 10 years of the LeadAbility program and the importance of having avenues available for people to help create an inclusive and sustainable community for all. Watch the video, Celebrating Connections, here.

genU was inspired by their strategic slogan ‘Connections that Count’ and have featured six clients with disability sharing their insights into the important relationships in their lives in a video to mark IDPWD.

“We’re grateful for the openness and honesty of our clients in sharing the connections that enrich their lives,” Ms Amies said. “They’ve allowed us to see the many small but impactful moments that can often go unnoticed but are integral to connecting and overcoming barriers.”