Australia's Disability Employment Services Program: Participant Perspectives on Factors Influencing Access to Work

Factors associated with increased work participation in aged and mildly impaired persons

BackgroundVocational rehabilitation is a well-established field that attracts constant interest. The law provides incentives for beneficiaries and employers. A distinct population group is emerging in the context of current demographic changes: older workers with chronic conditions and impaired functional capacity which are prone to less working years.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess possible impact factors on maintaining a long-term professional activity in aged people with mild functional impairments.MethodsTwo hundred and seventy-one patients admitted to The National Institute for Medical Assessment and Work Capacity Rehabilitation Bucharest for work capacity evaluation were included in the survey. An observational study was designed to describe their vocational skills and to integrate interests and abilities to work counselling using a person-centred approach.ResultsGender (p = 0.003), marital status (p < 0.001), residence (p < 0.001), level of education (p < 0.001), type of occupation (p < 0.001), and multiple qualifications (p = 0.001) were related to longer working experience. Multiskilling, job fit, and residence were favourable features for a shorter interruption of the activity (p < 0.001, p = 0.031, p = 0.016, respectively). An investigative profile was found for higher education (p = 0.002) and intellectual jobs (p = 0.002), while a social profile was associated with a lower level of education (p = 0.012) and unskilled jobs (p = 0.031). Men had a significantly greater percentage of realistic (p = 0.002) and investigative profiles (p = 0.010). Women had significantly greater artistic (p < 0.001) and conventional (p = 0.047) profiles.ConclusionsVarious factors were associated with work participation. Occupational gender segregation was found, and differences in vocational interest were identified for different levels of education and occupational groups.

Individual placement and support: A qualitative investigation of carers' experiences supporting someone experiencing mental illness into employment

BACKGROUND

Unemployment rates for people living with mental illness remain persistently high. Individual Placement Support (IPS) is an evidence-based employment model that supports people with severe mental illness to gain employment. Although carers provide emotional and instrumental support for people with mental illness, there is limited research exploring carers' perspectives of IPS.

AIMS

To explore carers' perspectives of their experience as caregivers of individuals living with mental illness who have participated in IPS.

METHODS

This qualitative descriptive study gained carers' perspectives through semi-structured interviews. A convenience sample of eight carers was recruited via a community mental health service in Adelaide. Data were analysed thematically.

FINDINGS

Three main themes were identified: (1) employment benefits, (2) factors that may impact on employment, and (3) knowledge and opinions of IPS. Within each theme, four sub-themes emerged.

CONCLUSIONS

This study addresses a gap in research and provides insights into carers' experiences of IPS. Increased communication and involvement of carers in IPS may benefit IPS participants and staff as carers provide invaluable additional insight into supporting individuals through their employment journey.

Employment Barriers Experienced at Different Job Acquisition Stages by People With and Without Disabilities

BACKGROUND

Employment barriers experienced by people with disabilities are well-documented by researchers. A closer look at the nature of these barriers at different stages of the job acquisition process may help to understand and address current challenges.

OBJECTIVE

To understand how employment barriers differ for job seekers with and without disabilities; the impact of disability type; and are job acquisition barriers most salient, when looking for, applying to, or accepting a position.

METHOD

3,021 working-age adults (including 1,491 adults with disabilities) from a Qualtrics opt-in panel completed an online survey about employment status, job search barriers, and demographic factors (including disability). Logistic regression predicted odds of experiencing a job search barrier based on disability and other sociodemographic factors.

RESULTS

Most job seekers reported barriers to employment, with disability being the strongest predictor. While the types of barriers experienced at all stages of the job search were similar for people with and without disabilities, people with disabilities experienced barriers significantly more often.

CONCLUSIONS

Employment barriers among people with and without disabilities are similar in nature but vary by degree. Improvements in transportation and better alignment between education, training, and the job market may benefit all job seekers.

The Efficacy of Disability Employment Service (DES) Providers Working with Autistic Clients

The efficacy of the Australian Disability Employment Services (DES) for autistic jobseekers has not been examined and is currently undergoing Government reform. To help inform the new DES strategy, we sought the views of: 24 autistic individuals; seven family members of autistic individuals, and; 46 DES employees. Data were collected using surveys and interviews. Data were analysed using Mann Whitney tests plus deductive thematic analysis based on Nicholas and colleagues' ecosystems model. Participants highlighted a need to adapt existing policies to enhance flexibility of the DES model. There was participant consensus that DES staff require specific education and training to meet the needs of autistic people. Suggestions to inform the new model of DES for autistic people are made.

Health and inclusive labour force participation

The future of work is rapidly changing, with higher flexibility of the labour market and increasing informal employment in many countries worldwide. There is also an increased pressure to extend working careers until older age. We introduce the concept of working life expectancy as a useful metric, capturing the expected numer of years in paid employment across the working age individuals, in particular among different groups. We describe factors that determine working life expectancy. Macro-level factors focus on the socioeconomic and political context that influences labour force participation, primarily policies and legislation in specific countries. At the meso level, employment contracts and working conditions are important. The micro level shows that individual characteristics, such as education, gender, and age, influence working careers. There are three important groups with a disadvantaged position in the labour market-workers with chronic diseases, workers with impairing disabilities, and workers aged 50 years or more. Within each of these disadvantaged groups, macro-level, meso-level, and micro-level factors that influence entering and exiting paid employment are discussed. To assure that paid employment is available for everyone of working age and that work contributes to better health, specific challenges need to be addressed at the macro, meso, and micro levels. To reach inclusive labour force participation, national policies, company practices, and workplace improvements need to be aligned to ensure safe and healthy workplaces that contribute to the health and wellbeing of workers and their communities.

Soccer and Disability, Is It Possible? Analysis of the Learning and Coaching Context in Spain

Coaching a youth soccer player is important, and the coach's role is key. Actually, there is no profile or coaching program for grassroots-soccer coaches that favor the practice of soccer and disability, according to different research and experts. The main purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the professional profile of the grassroots-soccer coach who has soccer players with disabilities (learning and coaching context). This research applies a quantitative method, specifically, non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive, and inferential methodology. The sample of analysis is the staff members of the professional soccer clubs of LaLigaSantander Genuine (Spain). An important result is that half of the grassroots-soccer coaches have not received specific education to coach youth soccer players with disabilities. Finally, one important conclusion of this research is that by generating a climate of trust and empathy, grassroots-soccer coaches improve the performance of their soccer players with disabilities by recognizing and understanding their emotional states.

Realising economic and social rights for children with communication and swallowing disability: Sustainable Development Goals 1, 8 and 10

PURPOSE

This commentary describes the economic disempowerment of children with communication and/or swallowing disability and outlines why attending to their economic and social needs is essential for the realisation of the United Nations' Agenda 2030.

RESULT

Children with communication and/or swallowing disability encounter intersectional disempowerment on account of both their disability, and their status as children. In particular, they experience unique barriers to the realisation of their economic and social rights. This presents a number of challenges to the realisation of Agenda 2030, and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Drawing on the broader disability rights and child rights literature, we outline these issues, and describe four empowering solutions, within the scope of this special issue commentary.

CONCLUSION

We describe that speech-language pathologists must interpret the discussion of these issues as a call to action for our profession. This commentary focusses on the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals of, No Poverty (SDG 1), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10), and also addresses the goals of Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Good Health and Well-Being (SDG 3), Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17).

What Does It Take to Get Somebody back to Work after Severe Acquired Brain Injury? Service Actions within the Vocational Intervention Program (VIP 2.0)

Little is known about service actions delivered in the complex intervention of vocational rehabilitation (VR) for people with severe acquired brain injury (ABI). Scale-up of the Vocational Intervention Program (VIP) across the 12 Community teams of the NSW Brain Injury Rehabilitation Program provided an opportunity to analyse the intensity and profile of actions delivered in providing VR programs. Seventy-two participants with severe TBI were supported in returning to either pre-injury employment (FastTrack, FT, n = 27) or new employment (NewTrack, NT, n = 50), delivered by two types of VR providers (Disability Employment Service DES; private providers). VR providers documented their service actions in hours and minutes, using the Case Management Taxonomy, adapted to VR. The NT pathway required significantly higher levels of intervention in comparison to FT (25 h, five minutes vs. 35 h, 30 min, p = 0.048, W = 446). Case coordination was the most frequent service action overall (41.7% of total time for FT, 42.3% for NT). DES providers recorded significantly greater amounts of time undertaking engagement, assessment and planning, and emotional/motivational support actions compared to private providers. Overall duration of the programs were a median of 46 weeks (NT) and 36 weeks (FT), respectively. This study helps illuminate the profile of VR interventions for people with severe TBI.