We’re constantly coming up with new and innovative ways to increase diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We work closely with businesses and government on projects that shape the future of access and inclusion in Australia.
Active projects
Career Pathways Pilot
The Career Pathways Pilot aims to support employers to build their capacity to develop the leadership potential of employees with disability.
Four Business Council of Australia (BCA) members are participating in the pilot: Coles Group, Compass Group Australia, Kmart & Target Australia, and Woolworths Group. Australian Disability Network will co-design project activity with the employers and their employees with disability to remove unintended career development barriers preventing the progression of employees with disability into leadership positions. A key goal is to have viable systems and processes in place to ensure that people with disability have the same opportunities for job fulfilment and career progression as people without disability.
The pilot has been designed with sustainability in mind to ensure the outcomes are leveraged long term and impact occurs nationally.
This initiative is funded by the Australian Government, Department of Social Services.
Learn more about the Career Pathways Pilot
Communication Access and Inclusion Project
The Communication Access and Inclusion Project is kindly funded by the Bowness Family Foundation to support the increase of awareness and recognition of people with communication difficulties in Australia. Australian Disability Network are reviewing our key products and services to ensure communication access needs are considered. Additionally, the funding will support the research we undertake to include people with communication difficulties as research participants.
Disability Observership Pilot
The Disability Observership Pilot will create a disability talent pipeline into The Observership Program and create a passionate and motivated community of future leaders. This pilot is identifying and removing any unintended barriers that exist for people with disability while building the capability of not-for-profit boards to induct an Observer with disability.
Employing 100 – A building employer capability ILC grant
Employing 100 aims to successfully place 100 suitably skilled job seekers with disability into roles in the Health Care and Social Assistance, and Food and Accommodation industries. It will build employer confidence and capability to employ people with disability and prepare job seekers for identified roles.
Australian Disability Network have developed an Employer Enablement Framework (a model to support employers to recruit people with disability) to achieve this based on more than a decade’s research. Employing 100 is funded by the Department of Social Services (DSS), Australian Government.
Learn more about Employing 100
Directing Change Scholarship
The Directing Change Scholarship provides 15 full-fee scholarships to people with disability to participate in either the Company Directors Course or the Foundations of Directorship course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). Successful scholars will also have access to a mentor, one year membership to the AICD and workshops to support career and leadership development.
Accessible Procurement Taskforce
With the Accessible Procurement Taskforce we’re trialling a tool with members to assess the extent to which their procurement practices include accessibility. This is revealing opportunities for change in procurement practices that we’re passing on to our other members.
Completed projects
Disability Leadership Program
The Disability Leadership Program is a strategic partnership with the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) to increase the representation of people with disability on Australian Boards. Over two years, the program will offer 200 scholarships to people with disability.
This project has been funded by the Department of Social Services as part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Information Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Program.
Connect50
Connect50 was an internship project in which businesses across regional Victoria offered paid internships to talented university and TAFE students with disability. The Victorian Government provided the funding and chose us to deliver the project as part of its economic participation plan for people with disability.
Victorian Employer Enablement Project
Our Victorian Employer Enablement Project (VEEP) helped employers gain the benefits of a diverse workforce that includes people with disability. The Victorian Government funded the project, which ran until December 2018.
High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates
High Growth Jobs, Talented Candidates (HGJTC) was an innovative project we delivered in partnership with Social Ventures Australia. It was pioneered and funded by the NSW Department of Family and Community Services.