CSI Researchers Showcase Projects at Disability Employment Australia Conference

Researchers from the Centre for Social Impact (CSI) shared emerging evidence at the Disability Employment Australia (DEA) Conference, held recently in Melbourne.

Set against a backdrop of imminent sector changes, this year’s theme was fittingly, “Ready for Reform”. The event featured a rich program of forward-thinking presentations and dynamic discussions aimed at transforming disability employment services and emphasising practical solutions for enhancing employment opportunities.

The team at CSI Flinders , including Dr Jung Yoon , Dr Claire Hutchinson , Michelle Strudwick and community researcher, Lachlan Dunn, kicked off CSI presentations by sharing key insights from the first 12 months of their Diversity Pathways project. This body of work focuses on co-designing an accessible and inclusive workplace with employers and people with cognitive disability in the hospitality and retail industries.

4 people smiling in front of a banner. A woman wears an orange jumper, a man with a beard wears a black and white check shirt, a woman in the front wears a cream top and a women with glasses wears a beige jumper
CSI Flinders researchers (L-R) Jung Yoon, Lachlan Dunn, Claire Hutchinson, Michelle Strudwick

The presentation also underscored the importance of engaging individuals with lived experiences in the research process.

"Co-designing a disability employment approach with our community researchers, employers and project committee members effectively translates a concept to practice. It is important to have the voices of people with lived experience from the ground up. Diversity and inclusion should never be an afterthought but should be the bedrock,” Dr Yoon explained.

Representing his team of four community researchers, Lachlan Dunn, who identifies as autistic, emphasised the need for genuine inclusion of people with disabilities in the decision-making process.

“I was at the conference to share our findings on how the employment process could be more accessible. Our co-design team feels like workplaces could improve their diversity by employing people with cognitive disability.”

Lachlan urges employers to consult people with disability in a meaningful way, rather than making assumptions about needs and preferences.

“How does your business ensure you are actively listening to the voices of these people? We believe one of the best ways to do this is by employing us,” he said.

3 people sit on chairs on a stage, 1 person is presenting at a microphone
CSI Flinders researchers presenting at the DEA conference

As key evidence providers in this space, the team from CSI Swinburne presented across multiple areas including Brokering Employment Pathways from Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISE) to the Mainstream Labour Market. Delivered by Dr Perri Campbell and Dr Jenny Crosbie , key take-aways from this research were:

  • ADEs have been able to use the WISE-Ability model to support their organisational evolution in enabling supported employees to increase their employment opportunities.
  • Difficulties with NDIS funding continue to hamper attainment of employment for people moving from ADEs to open employer – one answer is being creative and using NDIS line items more flexibly.
  • Most disability enterprises are spending a lot of time in the early phases of supporting the open employment journey, which is not always fully funded.

Professor Erin Wilson , Director of CSI Swinburne , and Rhiannon Walker, from the Australian Human Rights Commission , presented on IncludeAbility: Ensuring Equality in Employment.

IncludeAbility is an initiative of the Australian Human Rights Commission and will continue over coming years. Key take-aways from the evaluation conducted by CSI Swinburne were:

  • The role of the Australian Human Rights Commission was important to employers as they valued training in equal opportunity strategies and in solutions to overcoming barriers for people with disability.
  • The pilot in WA showed that an ADE can act as a valuable talent pool for an industry-aligned employer.
  • Support must be provided to all levels of the employing organisation in order to generate the organisational changes necessary to employ people with disability.

Professor Wilson further contributed to the conference with a panel session on unpacking the upcoming changes to Disability Employment Services (DES).

Set to commence in July 2025, the new ’specialist disability employment program’ represents a significant shift in the landscape of disability employment in Australia. It responds to findings from the Disability Royal Commission and aims to address the systemic barriers that have impeded the employment of people with disabilities, promoting greater inclusion and accessibility within the workforce.

A woman in a black suit with blonde hair holds a trophy next to a man in a suit and tie wearing glasses on stage
Dr Jenny Crosbie is honoured with a DEA Hall of Fame Award

“We welcome the shift to include people with an assessed work capacity under 8 hours per week. These kinds of changes necessitate dramatic changes in how DES supports people with disability and employers.”

Finally, to top off an inspiring event, Dr Jenny Crosbie of CSI Swinburne, was inducted into the DEA Hall of Fame , in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the field of disability employment.

Congratulations to Jenny and the CSI teams represented at the DEA event!