From today, Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan will add Disability Discrimination to her portfolio and will focus on improving dignity, respect and equal opportunities for people with disability.

“As I commence my term as Acting Disability Discrimination Commissioner, I want to reinvigorate a national discussion about how we create opportunities for people with disabilities to enter the workplace,” said Commissioner Ryan.

“It is important that we have this discussion at a time when the Government is considering significant changes to the welfare system, including the disability support pension. The only way we can reduce welfare dependency is to address the barriers to paid employment that are faced by people with disabilities,” she said.
 
“These barriers start from the moment a person leaves their house: is there reliable, accessible transport to get to work? It continues as they reach a workplace: Is the workplace design accessible? Are there flexible workplace practices that can accommodate people’s distinct needs? And it continues on with prevailing attitudes and stereotypes about what people with disabilities are capable (or more commonly, deemed incapable) of achieving.”

‘We know that the cumulative effect of these barriers is that too many talented Australians are not in the workforce when they could be’ said Commissioner Ryan.
 
Commissioner Ryan also announced that she will convene a National Disability Forum in September to meet with people with disabilities and their representative bodies.
 
In preparation for the forum the Australian Human Rights Commission will shortly release a survey asking people with disabilities to identify the key issues that they face, especially in relation to access to jobs. This will be used to inform discussion at the National Disability Forum and to guide the development of the Commission’s future work priorities in advancing the rights of people with disabilities.

“I look forward to continuing the Commission’s work under the Disability Discrimination Act,” said Commissioner Ryan. “Initially, I will do so by focusing on the area where there has been inadequate progress over the past twenty years – creating employment opportunities.”

Media contact: Sarah Bamford (02) 9284 9758 or 0417 957 525
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