4. Opportunity and pride

'I contribute'

Outcomes under this pillar

Education and skills

How we will know we've made progress:

• Increased education achievement of students with disability
• Increased educational engagement of students with disability
• Increased wellbeing of students with disability
• Increased engagement of Victorian children with disability in state-funded kindergarten
• Increased wellbeing of Victorian children with disability at school entry

Employment

How we will know we've made progress:

• Increased employment
• Increased job quality
• Increased positive attitudes towards people with disability in the workplace
• Increased job flexibility and job design adjustment

Economic independence

How we will know we've made progress:

• Improved financial stability and economic independence

Influence and recognition

How we will know we've made progress:

• Increased involvement in civic activities
• Increased leadership opportunities

Opportunity

How we will know we've made progress:

• People with disability report increased opportunities to persue and achieve aspirations

Priority area commitments and actions

4.1 Education

We will continue to support funded kindergarten services to meaningfully include children with disability or developmental delay. We will do this by:

4.1.1 Continuing the ongoing provision of the Kindergarten Inclusion Support program including for funded three-year-old kindergarten enrolments.

4.1.2 Providing flexible opportunities through School Readiness Funding including professional learning options and capacity building for educators provided by allied health professionals such as psychologists and speech therapists.

We will continue to work with the sector to better understand the needs of children with disability or developmental delay in accessing and engaging in high-quality learning and to ensure support provided is as effective as possible. We will do this by:

4.1.3 Drawing on the experiences of families with young children with disability or developmental delay.

4.1.4 Exploring options to build the knowledge and capability of the educator workforce in Victorian funded kindergarten services in supporting learning for children with disability.

4.1.5 Further developing transition-to-school processes and support for children with disability.

4.1.6 Improving how we use data to understand and respond to factors affecting access and inclusion.

We will make inclusive education part of everyday practice in all schools and classrooms to improve the achievement, participation and wellbeing outcomes for students with disability. We will do this by:

4.1.7 Implementing the nearly $1.6 billion disability inclusion reforms across Victorian government schools including introducing a tiered funding model to ensure equitable access to education for students with disability. This will include universal, school-level, formula-based and student-level funding.

4.1.8 Introducing the Disability Inclusion Profile, a new strengths-based process to determine a student’s functional access needs and the adjustments required to enable access, participation and engagement at school. The Disability Inclusion Profile will determine personalised funding allocations for students with high support needs and provide trained facilitators to guide students, schools and families through the new approach.

4.1.9 Increasing access to specialist expertise, coaching, professional learning and support for government school staff, as well as Department of Education and Training regional and area-based staff. Initiatives include inclusion outreach coaching for mainstream schools, the Diverse Learners Hub and support for postgraduate study in inclusive education.

4.1.10 Continuing to support all Victorian government schools and participating Catholic and independent schools to implement and embed Respectful Relationships.

We will develop initiatives and resources to support schools to deliver career education and workplace learning activities that support students with disability to make informed pathway decisions. We will do this by:

4.1.11 Developing resources to support career education and career planning for students with disability.

4.1.12 Developing resources to support workplace learning for students with disability.

4.1.13 Piloting the Industry Engagement for Priority Cohorts initiative for students with disability in three areas. This initiative will provide opportunities for students with disability in mainstream and specialist schools to gain exposure to a wide variety of industries and career pathways. This will be done through a range of activities including mentoring by employers, workplace visits and bringing industry into the classroom.

We will ensure all learners have access to higher education, vocational education and training opportunities across Victoria including working to improve disability inclusion and support access and achievement for all learners. We will do this by:

4.1.14 Delivering a TAFE disability inclusion strategy to establish a high level policy framework to give coherence to, and guide activity across, the TAFE network. The strategy will give visibility to disability issues and ensure they are considered and included in developing and implementing TAFE policy that affects people with disability.

4.1.15 Implementing recommendations from the ‘TAFE as a disability inclusive workplace’ and ‘Improving access and achievement for students with disability’ reviews, led by the TAFE Disability Inclusion Working Group.

4.1.16 Considering findings of the final report from the parliamentary inquiry into access to TAFE for learners with disability to further improve support available for TAFE students and to strengthen connections with Learn Locals for these students.

4.1.17 Continuing to offer and subsidise Auslan courses through the Skills First program.

4.2 Employment and economic participation

‘It has been so hard for me to find a job, let alone a career. People with intellectual disabilities get overlooked and devalued. We need to create designated pathways, internships and more to create real jobs for everyone.’
VDAC member

We will improve employment outcomes for people with disability through Jobs Victoria services and leverage existing Victorian Government policies and programs to engage with government employers and intermediaries. We will do this by:

4.2.1 Supporting people looking for work, including people with disability, through Jobs Victoria services¹ and creating jobs through the Jobs Victoria Fund.

4.2.2 Building work readiness and supporting participants to transition into meaningful employment through the Impact21 initiative, a job readiness program for adults with Down syndrome or intellectual disability.

4.2.3 Supporting an increase in direct government spend under the Social procurement framework to benefit people with disability by:

• working with government purchasers to better support their understanding and awareness of the Social procurement framework and its objectives
• providing advice and encouraging departments and agencies to include the ‘Opportunities for Victorians with disability’ objective as part of their approaches to market and in their social procurement strategies
• supporting a clearer understanding of how to meet the Social procurement framework’s ‘Opportunities for Victorians with disability’ objective by developing materials for industry 67 (suppliers) to promote and replicate examples of good practice, case studies and resources.

4.2.4 Exploring the capacity of the Microenterprise Program to deliver a dedicated stream for people with disability to support greater entrepreneurship and small business ownership.

4.2.5 Holding a series of roundtables or meetings with stakeholders from the social enterprise sector. These meetings will focus on employment opportunities and support for people with disability to identify resource and capability needs and to support their growth through implementing the new Social enterprise strategy 2021–2025 and other opportunities including social procurement.

4.2.6 Providing appropriate supports and resources for businesses around employing people with disability and addressing employer attitudes or perceived barriers. We will leverage relationships with existing stakeholders that work directly with employers such as JobsBank and Social Traders.

We will continue to build a capable and diverse public sector that reflects the diversity of the Victorian community and benefits from the experience, skills and talents people with disability bring to the workplace. We will do this by:

4.2.7 Developing, promoting and sharing best practice employee life-cycle resources to support inclusive recruitment, employment and career progression of employees with disability.

4.2.8 Expanding opportunities for young people with disability in the Victorian public service through the Jobs Victoria Youth Employment Scheme.

4.2.9 Growing the Victorian Government graduate program disability pathway and scoping new pathways to employment for people with disability into the public sector.

4.2.10 Creating a mentoring program for public sector employees with disability.

4.2.11 Strengthening the collection of disability information and publishing progress towards the Victorian Government’s disability employment target of 12 per cent by 2025.

We will support the rehabilitation and skills development of people with disability involved in the criminal justice system to enhance their economic, educational and social participation in the community. We will do this by:

4.2.12 Developing and expanding education and employment pathways for forensic disability clients targeted to their goals and aspirations through partnerships with vocational organisations.

4.3 Voice and leadership

‘People with intellectual disability are often excluded from having a voice and say in important aspects of their life. As a young woman with intellectual disability, I want to make sure we are heard, we have a platform and we are listened to and included.’
VDAC member

We will work across government and community to ensure people with disability are represented in leadership positions. We will do this by:

4.3.1 Building on earlier work to ensure people with disability, including those from diverse and underserviced groups, are represented on Victorian public sector boards and committees.

4.3.2 Strengthening connections between the Victorian Disability Advisory Council and local government advisory committees to build coordinated efforts on emerging issues.

4.3.3 Developing more leaders with disability through an ongoing commitment to providing sponsorship for positions in leadership programs.

We will include young people, including young people with disability, in government decision making and increase opportunities for participation. We will do this by:

4.3.4 Working with the youth and community sectors to position the voices of diverse young people, including young people with disability, as key evidence in decision-making in policy, practice and governance across a range of tertiary and acute services.

4.3.5 Developing an evidence-based menu of youth engagement and youth-led action models including a focus on young people with disability. All government departments and local government will draw on this to enable effective youth participation and leadership in government decision making.

4.3.6 Establishing and expanding peer mentoring and support programs in rural and regional and outer suburban areas. This will focus on providing opportunities for young people from low-socioeconomic communities, Aboriginal young people, young people from refugee backgrounds, young people with disability, and young people with lived experience of unemployment, the care system and mental illness.

We will work with community to improve the engagement of people with disability in Victoria’s democracy. We will do this by:

4.3.7 Forming a partnership with a training organisation to provide a leadership program for people with disability. The aim will be to support new and emerging leaders to promote active citizenship and participation in elections.

4.3.8 Supporting leadership graduates (from action 4.3.7) to apply for paid roles as Victorian Electoral Commission Democracy Ambassadors. The roles will provide education and share their knowledge about democracy, how to vote, understanding the value of voting and how democratic processes affect service delivery requirements for people with disability.

4.3.9 Delivering peer-led electoral education sessions across Victorian NDIS-approved services, specialist accommodation services and Australian disability enterprises.

4.3.10 Co-designing an electoral education resource with people with disability to inform people with disability about active citizenship, democracy and the support available when enrolling and voting.

4.4 Creative industries

‘People without a disability often think that all people with a disability use a wheelchair. People with cognitive disabilities are often not included in public life; we need to see all different types of disability represented in media, TV, radio, etc.’
VDAC member

We will improve access to employment opportunities, promote participation and celebrate achievements in the creative industries for people with disability. We will do this by:

4.4.1 Improving access to employment opportunities and promoting access and participation in the creative industries for people with disability through the Creative State 25 strategy by:

• involving people with disability in designing Creative Victoria programs
• offering dedicated funding streams that allow for access requirements, assessed by peers with disability
• piloting alternative models of support with peak disability arts organisations such as Arts Access Victoria
• improving access to cultural experiences through programs delivered by state-owned creative organisations such as audio-described, Auslan and autism-friendly cultural experiences and accessible digital content
• continuing to support and explore inclusive approaches to recruitment and employment for people with disability
• championing the content of people with disability through disability arts programs and events held by state-owned creative organisations
• developing and applying universal design principles for use by creative facilities and for all future state cultural infrastructure developments to improve access to physical and digital spaces.

4.4.2 Reviewing the accessibility and inclusiveness of Creative Victoria’s business processes including communications, grant applications and assessments, events and recruitment.

4.4.3 Developing diversity and inclusion targets and standards for Creative Victoria programs and a measurement framework to monitor progress.

4.4.4 Encouraging and promoting cultural equity across government-funded creative organisations.

4.5 Pride and recognition

We will work with people with disability, including Aboriginal people and people from LGBTIQ+ and multicultural communities, to co-design disability pride and recognition approaches. We will do this by:

4.5.1 Developing whole-of-government strategies to ensure awards and recognition initiatives are inclusive, accessible and actively target people with disability.

4.5.2 Engaging with people with disability to determine the best approach to fostering and promoting pride within the disability community including celebrating important days of recognition.

4.5.3 Working with people with disability to understand community preference and good practice in the language used to describe disability. We will promote people’s preferences across government and in the wider community as a tool to shift attitudes, foster inclusion and promote disability pride.

4.5.4 Acknowledging the contributions made by Aboriginal people with disability through formal recognition on the Victorian Aboriginal Honour Roll and women with disability through formal recognition on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women.

References

[1] Noting that people accessing Commonwealth Disability Employment Services (DES) cannot participate in Jobs Victoria services because DES does not allow dual servicing.