Sofitel and SkyCity hotels in Adelaide participate in an inclusive hiring program
![A program available for employers could improve hiring practices for people with disability. [Source: iStock]](https://agedcareguide-assets.imgix.net/news/articles/wp/cafeman2101.jpg?fm=pjpg)
How could an inclusive employer program improve the lives of people with cognitive disability?
Key points:
- Researchers at the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University are leading the pilot Diversity Pathways Project to enhance job opportunities for people with cognitive disability in the hospitality industry
- The Adelaide-based project has already provided major hotels such as Sofitel and SkyCity with strategies to make their workplaces more inclusive and accessible
- Employing people with disability can improve general company morale and increase productivity
Jobs for people with cognitive disability could become more accessible with a recent government-funded initiative targeting the inclusivity of hospitality companies in Adelaide.
Australian Government’s Information Linkages and Capacity Building program funded the pilot of the Diversity Pathways Project, an initiative to improve inclusive hiring and employment practices.
Researchers at the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University are leading the project, having already involved major hotels in Adelaide such as the Sofitel, Pullman, Mantra, Ibis and SkyCity.
Within the Diversity Pathways Project, researchers have the following key objectives:
- to educate employers — including leadership and human resources employees — about making employment more accessible for people with disability;
- to improve employers’ hiring practices and relevant support for people with cognitive disability; and
- to share the knowledge gained during the project with other employers to increase the number of accessible and inclusive workplaces.
Community researchers also work at the participating organisations to establish the effectiveness of the project. Thomas Doherty recently began working in Sofitel Adelaide during the breakfast services and he praised the project and its associated goals.
“There are lots of jobs which people with disability could do if businesses would give them a chance,” he said.
“Everyone should be able to work if they want to. This project is helping employers to be more inclusive and hire people with a disability.”
In this pilot project, the focus of inclusive practices is on people with cognitive disability, such as intellectual and developmental disability.
A person with intellectual disability may think, learn or communicate differently to others, which can pose challenges in relationship building, education, behaviour, inclusion and employment.
When assessing someone’s eligibility for the Disability Support Pension, for example, people with an intellectual disability often need to be assessed as having an IQ — also referred to as an intelligence quotient — lower than 70. Learn more about intellectual disability in this article: What is an intellectual disability?
In Australia, one in three people with cognitive disability report loneliness and feeling socially isolated, compared to one in five people with physical disability.
However, gaining paid employment or volunteering can improve a person’s quality of life and help them overcome loneliness by interacting with others and providing motivation by having a job.
Director of the Centre for Social Impact at Flinders University Professor Ian Goodwin-Smith emphasised the impact of improving hiring and employment practices to increase inclusivity in the hospitality sector.
“This program raises awareness about the advantages of hiring people with cognitive disability, including tapping into a wider talent pool and having staff who represent the diversity of consumers themselves,” he said.
“By bringing together employers with experts and people with lived experience of disability, we can bridge the gaps in knowledge.
“This program offers businesses practical tips to build inclusive workplaces and tackle perceived barriers to hiring people with cognitive disability.”
In the future, researchers hope to extend the hospitality project to reach companies in the retail sector and improve inclusive hiring practices for people with disability.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Diversity Pathways Project, email [email protected] or visit the Centre for Social Impact website.
Hiring people with disability can have many benefits, both for the individual and the employer.
Social benefits for employed people with disability can include improved self-worth and contribute to a greater sense of identity.
Employing people with disability also improves outcomes for businesses as people with disability are more likely to remain with the same company, take fewer days off sick and improve general morale.
While more Australian workplaces are becoming more inclusive for people with disability, services are available to help people with disability find jobs they enjoy with added support.
Disability Employment Services can help people with disability find and maintain work in a mainstream environment, known as open employment, through two separate programs, namely:
- Employment Support Services — for job seekers with permanent disability and an assessed need for regular, ongoing workplace support;
- Disability Management Services — for job seekers with disability, injury or health conditions who are not expected to need long-term workplace support but may need irregular, flexible support to keep a job.
The Disability Support Guide helps to provide information to people with disability and their families about employment and volunteering options and suggestions on how to help students with disability transition into further study.
What other industries do you think would benefit from making jobs more accessible for people with disability?
Let the team at Disability Support Guide know on social media.
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