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Forum minutes: Needs and options for improved access to information and advice on accommodating disability in employment

Forum minutes: Needs and options for improved access to information and advice on accommodating disability in employment

 

Chair

Graeme Innes, Deputy Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission

Attendees

•  ACE National Network: Rob Macfarlane

•  ACROD: Ken Baker

•  Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI): Steve Balzary

•  Employers Making A Difference (EMAD): Megan Brand, Suzanne Colbert

•  Department of Employment and Work Relations (DEWR): Borka Buseska

•  Griffith University : Nicholas Buys

•  Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC): David Mason , Vanessa Lesnie

•  IBM: Kylie Nicholson

•  National Disability Advisory Council (NDAC): Ian Spicer

•  People with Disability: Phillip French

Apologies

•  Office of Disability: Roger Barson

•  Westpac: Niki Kesoglou

•  Qld Dept of State Development and Innovation: Paul Fennelly

1. Purpose of meeting

To gather participants from government, employer representative bodies, private employers, disability employment and service agencies and other interested and expert organisation to discuss the desirability and possibility for establishing an information and advice service modelled on the US Job Accommodation Network.

2. Summary of discussion

•  Megan Brand from EMAD outlined what Australian employers need from an information service to make it easier for them to hire people with disabilities.

The notes from Megan's presentation can be found as Appendix A to this document.

•  Nicholas Buys from Griffith University explained how the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) in the United States works. He also provided statistics evaluating the usefulness of JAN. The group noted that those statistics do not distinguish between accommodations made for existing employees and accommodations made to recruit new employees.

Nick noted that JAN receives US$2million funding from the US Department of Labor each year. JAN has 30 employees in total, 13 of whom are full time consultants. JAN is a tripartite arrangement involving private industry, the US Government and the University of Western Virginia .

Nick also noted that preliminary discussions with the head of JAN indicate that they would be willing to share some of the information at no cost and help set up an Australian equivalent to JAN.

The notes from Nick's presentation can be found as Appendix B to this document.

•  Borka Buseska from DEWR outlined the Department's new website www.jobable.gov.au . She noted that the Department had looked at JAN as a model but knew that it could not provide the personnel support that would be necessary to replicate that model. Thus JobAble was designed to be a website that provides information about Commonwealth government services available both to employers and people with disabilities (as well as other target groups), but it was not intended to provide the same level of services as JAN.

The website was launched on 4 August 2004 and is therefore in its infancy. It has had more than 100,000 hits but this figure does not distinguish between internal and external hits. DEWR is interested in reviewing the website in the near future and will be seeking the community's reactions as to its usefulness.

•  General discussion points

•  For the moment JobAble does not fulfil the same functions as JAN. Some of the differences include level of detail, focus on Commonwelth government services only ( not State ), absence of links to suppliers, not a one-stop-shop.

•  An Australian-style JAN might incorporate the following features amongst others:

•  one-stop-shop

•  appropriate tailoring of information and language to its target audience

•  information in a standardised form

•  streamlined Commonwealth and State Government information

•  examples of successful accommodation and diversity policies from employer and employee perspectives

•  referral services that can deal with more complicated issues.

•  It may be useful not to brand an Australian-style JAN as a disability resource, but rather as a general employer resource.

•  The 2003 FaCS review on Employer Incentive Schemes recommended that there be an 'Information Bank'. While FaCS was to launch a whole of government portal on disability in September 2004 this was delayed due to the election and reorganisation of various departments.

3. Conclusions

•  There is a real need in Australia for a comprehensive one-stop-shop information and advice service on accommodating disability in the workplace

•  The US JAN provides a good model for an Australian information and advice service

•  The development of an Australian-style JAN should be a collaborative effort between government, employers, disability groups and other interested stakeholders.

•  An Australian-style JAN should be more than just a web resource, there needs to be a personal advice facility

•  Steps should be taken to develop an Australian-style JAN as soon as possible.

•  The first step in developing an Australian-style JAN is to commence a scoping exercise. See further Appendix C.

4. Next steps

•  HREOC to distribute a document summarising the forum's discussions and decisions to all participants and any other stakeholders who may be interested in the issue by Christmas.

•  Any feedback on the HREOC document should be sent to HREOC by mid-January.

•  Approaches should be made to the Federal and Queensland Governments for their support for and resourcing of a comprehensive scoping exercise regarding the development of an Australian-style JAN (see further Appendix C).


APPENDIX A

JAN Presentation Notes

Megan Brand, EMAD

Introduction:

Employers' Making a Difference is the Australian Employers' Network on Disability. Briefly, our aims are to:

•  build skills and knowledge in Australian business in relation to the employment and retention of PWD

•  provide an avenue for employers to access information on all issues affecting the employment of people with a disability and engagement of PWD as customers

•  create a network of employers that are committed to advancing this important agenda while sharing experiences and best practice for inclusion

Current Context:

There are 3.6 million Australians who have a disability. Despite legislation and government expenditure on employment programs, little progress has been made in increasing the employment participation of people with a disability over the past ten years.

There are thousands of examples of people with a disability working successfully in hundreds of vocations so there is no doubt that employment of people with a disability is both possible and desirable. Hundreds, if not thousands of people with a disability have contacted Employers Making a Difference expressing their frustration at not being able to show employers what they are capable of.

Why is this so difficult for employers? Well despite the investment in employment programs for people with a disability, nothing substantial has been achieved to assist employers. We know that businesses need practical information about risk, workplace adjustments and examples of success. This information has not yet been provided to Australian businesses.

From our experience, pwd get hired in larger organizations when:

•  The leader says that it is a good thing to do

•  Recruiters are confident with what to do

•  Business unit managers know what to do and get rewarded

•  The culture and environment of the organisation works to include pwd

It is for these reasons and many more that we feel a '1 stop shop' such as JAN will make it easier for all organisations to successfully recruit pwd

For managers out in business units and for recruiters whether internal or external providers, a website such as JAN that focuses on adjustments will assist recruiters to confidently articulate the individual needs of jobseekers with a disability

For pwd it means that they could print off information for their individual disability type and the adjustments required to show employers what is possible

Without appropriate information, support and resources for employers, employment prospects for pwd look fairly grim. We currently refer our clients and members to JAN as it is a fantastic reference point. I have also personally used it on many occasions to gain further information about a particular issue or to provide a different alternative to a business client

Although there are other systems currently in place, JAN provides a comprehensive resource with practical examples for employers in regarding adjustments and modifications. The added bonus of having a live person to talk with about specific issues also makes this process seamless in its approach to providing 'information'.

There is currently a lack of any coordinated mechanism for ensuring that employers, service providers and pwd have access to appropriate information and the Job Accommodation Network might just be the answer that we have been looking for.

 

APPENDIX B

 

JAN Presentation Notes

Nicholas Buys, Griffith University

 

•  Job Accommodation Network (JAN)

  • Introduction to JAN
  • What services are offered
  • How services are provided
  • Use of JAN by employers & people with disabilities
  • Effectiveness of JAN
  • Application to Australia

•  JAN's Mission

Assist employment and retention of people with disabilities by providing employers, people with disabilities and others with advice on job accommodations and disability legislation

•  How does JAN assist employers?

Free service to help employers:

  • Provide practical, low-cost solutions to accommodating people at the worksite
  • Hire, keep and promote people with disabilities
  • Reduce workers compensation costs
  • Educate themselves about legislative responsibilities

•  How does JAN assist people with disabilities?

  • Find out about accommodation options to keep a job or obtain a job
  • Increase potential employment opportunities
  • Knowledge of rights under disability legislation
  • Learn about other agencies that can provide assistance

•  How is the service offered?

  • Person-to-person assistance
    • Through phone, fax or email
    • One-to-one consultations
    • Advisors have specialist knowledge about accommodations & legislation
  • Searchable on-line accommodation information
    • Independently explore accommodation options
    • Equipment & assistive technology
    • Places where products can be purchased

•  Other on-line information

•  Assistance schemes to purchase products

•  300 disability specific accommodation publications

•  Referral organisations

•  Full-text copies of legislation

•  EEOC guidance manuals

•  Links to many relevant websites

•  Quarterly newsletter

•  Electronic topical newsflash

•  Use of JAN: Inquiries

  • Approx 32,000 phone inquiries per year
  • 4,000 email inquiries
  • 42% about accommodations, 51% about legislation
  • 30% of inquiries were from employers
  • 47% of inquiries were from people with disabilities
  • 52% of calls were about retention of a current employee

•  Use of JAN: Issues

  • Modifying or acquiring equipment 35%
  • Reassignment to a vacant position 21%
  • Job restructuring 15%
  • Flexible leave 12%
  • Modifying individual's work schedule 11%

•  Use of JAN: Limitations accommodated

  • Motor eg back, neck, total body 52%
  • Sensory eg hearing, vision 15%
  • Behavioural 11%
  • Neurological eg concentrating, learning 10%

•  Use of JAN: Number of employees

  • Less than 15 10%
  • 15-99 14%
  • 100-499 2%
  • 500-999 1%
  • 1000 or more 73%

•  Evaluation of JAN

How well did the information you were given by the JAN consultant meet your needs?

N = 1,982

Exceptionally well: 29%

Very well: 54%

Minimally well: 14%

Did not meet the needs at all: 3%

•  Evaluation of JAN

Did you use the information provided by JAN to actually make an accommodation?

N = 1,956

Yes: 40%

No: 30%

Decision pending: 30%

•  Evaluation of JAN

If you did make an accommodation based on the information provided, how effective was the accommodation?

N = 756

Extremely effective: 24%

Very effective 58%

Minimally effective: 12%

Not effective at all: 6%

•  Evaluation of JAN

Approximately how much did the accommodation cost you to make?

N = 705

Cost: Percentage

No cost: 20%

Between $1 and $500: 51%

Between $501 and $1,000: 11%

Between $1,001 and $1,500: 3%

Between $1,501 and $2,000: 3%

Between $2,001 and $5,000: 8%

Greater than $5,000: 4%

•  Evaluation of JAN

Because you made this accommodation, which of the following benefits did your company realize (check all that apply) :

N=867

Allowed you to hire or retain a qualified employee: 56%

Eliminated the cost of training a new employee: 31%

Saved worker's comp/other insurance costs: 38%

Increased the worker's productivity: 54%

Other: 25%

•  Evaluation of JAN

Approximately how much money did the company save because of the benefits you indicated?

N=421

Benefits in Dollars: Percentage

No value: 4%

Between $1 and $2,500: 22%

Between $2,501 and $5,000: 15%

Between $5,001 and $7,500: 6%

Between $7,501 and $10,000: 9%

Between $10,001 and $15,000: 9%

Between $15,001 and $20,000: 8%

Between $20,001 and $50,000: 20%

Between $50,001 and $100,000: 5%

Greater than $100,000: 2%

•  Evaluation of JAN

Would you consider using JAN's services again if you needed accommodation information?

N=1921

Yes: 100%

No: 0%

•  Applicability to Australia

  • Accommodation of is a major issue facing employers and people with disabilities
  • Australia needs an easily accessible service in this area
  • Much of the JAN accommodation data is applicable to Australia
  • JAN has worked with other countries to establish a similar website/service.

•  Where to from here...?



APPENDIX C

Proposed scoping exercise for improved access to information and advice on accommodating disability in employment in Australia

 

All steps in the proposed scoping exercise should be conducted with the participation of relevant government agencies, employers, disability groups and other interested stakeholders

Step 1: Identify the gaps in information and advice regarding accommodating disability in the workplace in Australia , using JAN as the reference framework

While participants at the roundtable meeting were open to a variety of mechanisms for an Australian information and advice service, all agreed that JAN was a good starting point. Further, initial approaches to the staff at JAN indicate that they would be willing to share the infrastructure and information available on the JAN website.

Step 1 in the scoping exercise should therefore involve a comprehensive exploration of the JAN website and services in order to:

•  identify the information on JAN that may be directly applicable to the Australian workplace

•  identify the information on JAN that would need to be adapted to the Australian workplace

•  identify any information or services specific to the Australian context that might be added to an Australian-style JAN

Step 2: Identify sources available in Australia to fill the gaps identified in Step 1

Where the information on JAN is not directly applicable to the Australian context, or additional information is required, initial efforts should be made to identify and provide access to existing sources of information within the JAN framework.

Step 3: Develop a preferred structure for an Australian-style JAN

A more detailed proposal for the structure of an Australian-style JAN should be developed, keeping in mind the preference for a tri-partite arrangement (government, employers and people with disabilities)

Step 4: Develop a budget and identify appropriate funding sources

The forum suggested that government would be best placed to provide the funding necessary to set up and administer an Australian-style JAN service. The forum also noted that the US Department of Labor funded JAN to a budget of US$2 million per annum and that the service was administered by the University of Western Virginia pursuant to a tender process.