(New Zealand Disability Strategy Objective 4: Provide opportunities in employment and economic development for disabled people)

Through employment, disabled people can build up their self-reliance, their standard of living and their financial security, as well as make a contribution to the country’s productivity.

Government agencies are giving increasing attention to ways of increasing disabled people’s opportunities for entering, retaining and advancing in employment. This includes making sure disabled people have access to employment opportunities, and disabled people get a fair deal in employment. This may mean making changes to the working environment – known as ‘workplace accommodations’ or ‘reasonable accommodations’.

More opportunities for employment

Departmental actions planned for increasing employment opportunities include:

• encouraging local communities, through the Mayors Taskforce for Jobs forum, to give disabled young people opportunities for employment: this work began in April 2009 and is to run over the next three years (Department of Labour)
• Sickness Benefit engagement and planning, to help Work and Income case managers decide on the most appropriate services for Sickness Benefit clients, with a view to supporting them into sustainable employment: rolled out nationally in late 2009, for implementation on an ongoing basis (Ministry of Social Development)
• providing employment and work place experience opportunities for special education students: over 2009/2010 (Ministry of Education)
• the Interagency Transition from School to Work project, undertaken as part of the ministries’ strategy for getting disabled people into work; the national rollout will take place by June 2011 (Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Education)
• the implementation by ACC of its Stay at Work programme, an early intervention service that enables a client to safely recover from injury while participating in employment to the fullest extent possible; in 2009/2010, ACC will look at how this programme can be broadened.

As well, there are plans for increasing employment opportunities specifically within government departments:

• the employment by a number of government agencies of disabled people under the Mainstream programme (for which the Ministry of Social Development has responsibility) to provide work experience
• work by New Zealand Police over 2009/2010 towards developing a team of visually impaired people capable of listening to audio taped interviews and transcribing these
• a review by New Zealand Police over 2009/2010, in association with the New Zealand Diabetes Association, of its current recruitment policy that people with type 1 or 2 diabetes cannot be recruited as police officers.

Promoting positive employer attitudes

The Employers’ Disability Network is an employer-led organisation aimed at driving employer change and creating a barrier-free employment and business sector. Its Establishment Group, facilitated by the Ministry of Social Development with the help of Dr Roderick Deane, comprised Westpac, Progressive Enterprises, Fletcher Building, ANZ, IBM, Vodafone, Vero, New Zealand Post, Manpower, AUT, Manukau City Council, ACC, the Department of Corrections, and the Ministry of Social Development.

During 2008/2009 the group worked on getting agreement to the vision and mission statement of the group, and the development of a trust deed. The trust deed will be signed by the trustees by mid-January 2010. John Allen of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (ex New Zealand Post) is the chairperson.

The Employers’ Disability Network has already developed and agreed on an Employment Charter. The Employers’ Disability Network will be launched in Auckland in March 2010 with a seminar jointly chaired by the Auckland University of Technology and the Employers’ Disability Network. This seminar will examine the potential business opportunities provided by disabled employees and disabled customers.

During 2010 services will be developed: network meetings and a website providing businesses with information and advice about the opportunities and practical details of employing disabled people and serving disabled customers.

Ensuring workplace accommodations for disabled people

In 2008/2009, the State Services Commission produced the report “Enabling Ability – meeting the Employment Requirements of People with Disabilities in the Public Service”. This report provides departments with practical examples of good practice initiatives towards disabled employees.

Actions planned by departments include:

• a resource on ‘reasonable accommodation’ to promote understanding within the private sector of their requirements under law relating to accommodations for disabled people: the timing of this will depend on the results of initial consultation on knowledge gaps (Ministry of Justice)
• improving the integration of new staff with hearing impairments into the Ministry of Education, through the use of technology and other resources (for example, New Zealand Sign Language interpreters at meetings and in professional development training), over 2009/2010
• a review of the Employment Relations (Flexible Working Arrangements) Amendment Act 2007: initial work for this has started; while the Act’s focus is on flexibility for people caring for disabled people, flexible work arrangements also significantly benefit disabled employees (Department of Labour)
• continuing work in many government departments to support their disabled employees, including ensuring health and safety measures meet their needs, and encouraging support networks for disabled staff and others with an interest in disability issues.

Promoting employment rights

The Ministry of Social Development began work in 2008, to be completed by June 2012, on developing an employment advocacy service to help disabled people negotiating employment contracts or minimum wage exemptions.

Between March and June 2010, the Department of Labour will work towards ensuring the accessibility of its Workplace Contact Centre – which provides information and guidance on a range of workplace issues – for Deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired clients.