Endeavour Foundation’s Post

In November 2023 we hosted our Disability Confident Question Time event at which our expert panel, Neil Carberry - Recruitment & Employment Confederation, Kate Headley - The Clear Company, Mark Lomas, Chartered FCIPD- Lloyd's, Jaqui Sampson - Amazon, Maria Grazia Zedda - HS2 (High Speed Two) Ltd, and our host Chloe Smith MP shared incredible best-practice insights on how we can make progress on disability confident recruitment. Here's a reminder of some of the top tips our panel shared for recruiters and organisations beginning their disability confident journey. "Not to overthink it and just get started, to get comfortable with being uncomfortable and not let lack of preparedness be an excuse for inaction. Tap into external specialist organisations for advice and support and listen to your current and future disabled talent to understand what you need to do." - Jaqui Sampson "Don’t expect to be perfect - doing something is better than doing nothing. Start by looking at the Disability Confident video series that RIDI, Clear Company and REC worked together on." - Neil Carberry "To be authentic with a genuine desire to be disability confident which will naturally lead to the right behaviours, accept a need to self-educate and learn from those with lived experience." - Kate Headley This game changing event would not have been possible without our headline event sponsor Amazon and supporting sponsors The Clear Company, Russell Reynolds Associates and Shaw Trust. Throughout 2024 we will continue to strive to drive Disability Confident recruitment across the board. For information on how you could support an event similar to Disability Confident Question Time as a headline or support sponsor please email info@ridi.org.uk. #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityRecruitment #DisabilityConfident #InclusionRevolution #ShapeTheDebate #DisabilityEmployment #QuestionTime

🔵 Alpha Disability Support Australia: Empowering Journeys, Enriching Lives 🔵 At Alpha Disability Support Australia, we believe in the power of empowerment. Our mission is to support and uplift individuals with disabilities, guiding them on their unique journeys towards independence, confidence, and fulfillment. ✨ Why Choose Alpha Disability Support Australia? 🌟 Personalised Care: We understand that each person's journey is unique. Our tailored support services are designed to meet individual needs, preferences, and goals. 🌟 Empowerment Through Education: Knowledge is power. We provide educational resources and training to help individuals develop new skills and build confidence. 🌟 Community Integration: We foster a sense of belonging by encouraging community participation and social interaction. Building connections is key to a fulfilling life. 🌟 Holistic Support: Our comprehensive services address all aspects of life, including health, employment, social activities, and personal development. 🌟 Advocacy and Rights: We stand by our participants, advocating for their rights and ensuring they have access to the opportunities they deserve. At Alpha Disability Support Australia, we are more than just a support service. We are partners in your journey, dedicated to helping you achieve your dreams and aspirations. Together, we can overcome challenges and celebrate successes. 👉 Join Us: Whether you’re seeking support or looking to make a difference, Alpha Disability Support Australia welcomes you. Let’s empower journeys and create a more inclusive world together. www.alphaaustralia.com.au 👈 Learn more about our services and how we can support you. #DisabilitySupport #Empowerment #InclusiveCommunity #AlphaDisabilitySupport #Australia #SupportServices #Advocacy #HolisticCare

The Department of Social Services (DSS) is calling on all Australians to provide feedback on the current disability strategy, via a questionnaire until September 6th at 5pm AEST. The aim of this feedback is to create a more inclusive Australia through a review of Australia’s Disability Strategy, ensuring that it is working as planned and to understand if improvements need to be made. A discussion paper has been prepared by the Australian Government outlining information to inform Australians when submitting their feedback on the current disability strategy. This comes in multiple formats (including a standard, easy-read, low-formatted and Auslan video and transcript) and can be accessed by going to https://lnkd.in/gQHYW9W4 To be involved in the review, complete the questionnaire by going to https://lnkd.in/g3YhYprp or by emailing your feedback to ADSReview@dss.gov.au. It is hoped that this feedback will lead to an updated strategy geared at improving the lives of people with disability, and looking towards a more inclusive and accessible community and society for all Australians. Australians with disability, their family, disability organisations and Australians without disability are all encouraged to provide their feedback during this review. For more information on Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031,  go to https://lnkd.in/gAxPtUCh

The new Disability Employment Services (DES) performance scorecards have been released! These scorecards are designed to improve the transparency and accountability of employment service providers, ensuring that people with disability have access to high-quality support. https://lnkd.in/gtmHpAqq The new framework assesses providers on three key performance indicators: 🔑 Quality 💪 Effectiveness ⚡ Efficiency The results are clear that over 90% of providers are meeting or exceeding expectations which is a huge win for both employment service providers and participants! As Minister Amanda Rishworth said, "The scorecards give providers, employers and participants as well as the general public a very clear picture of what is expected of providers and how they are stacking up." We congratulate all the providers who are delivering excellent service to people with disability and we look forward to seeing these scorecards evolve over time. If you’d like to discuss your scorecard performance, don’t hesitate to contact us. 👉Read the Minister’s media release: https://lnkd.in/gNJ_XiDC #Disabilityemployment #DESscorecards #Disabilitysupport #Prospert #DES

Recently, National Disability Services (NDS) released its State of the Disability Sector Report 2024, and as expected, there are clear challenges and opportunities for providers. There are clearly financial concerns across the sector but, at the same time, it's pleasing to see that providers are up for the challenge by being more resilient, creative, and efficient than ever before. The work of providers - no matter the size - is critical to support and empower people with disability help them pursue their goals. At McCall, we're looking forward to these financial challenges being prioritised by governments and the sector, so we can continue to work towards our shared aim: an Australia where people with disability receive the highest quality support to lead their best lives. You can access the report here: https://lnkd.in/gDNnua2i.

The latest book chapter from our team (Paul Harpur OAM) is out! Drawing on our experiences from running the UQ Disability Inclusion Group and UQ Disability Inclusion Advocacy Network, we share some key insights and considerations for mobilising disability leadership and communities at universities. Abstract: This chapter provides an overview of current knowledge, identifying pertinent issues, and engaging in relevant debates on the manifestation of disability organizing at work through two prominent models: the Disability Steering Group and the Employee Network. This chapter analyses these models by first analysing the precedent and context for disability organising. Second, this chapter introduces and delineates the key features of the Steering Group and Employee Network models via the examples found at the University of Queensland and spearheaded by the authors. This will include a detailed analysis of the strengths and weaknesses inherent in these two models, considering their efficacy in the context of disability organizing. Finally, this chapter offers practical advice on the establishment and maintenance of both Steering Groups and Employee Networks. Through analysing these models in theory and practice, as well as demonstrating the practical benefits of disability-led models, this chapter aims to support the development of inclusive and empowering environments within workplaces. Citation: Paul Harpur OAM and Brooke Szücs, ‘Disability and Mobilization Work’ in Oana Branzei and Anica Zeyen (Eds), The #Routledge Companion to Disability and Work (2024), chapter 23. https://lnkd.in/gUJCXBUP

Rethinking Disability Support Documentation: A Vision for the Future with Volitio Have you ever wondered what happens to all the daily documentation on people living with disabilities? Ask team leaders or organizations, and they’ll often say, “It’s to cover our backs.” But what if it could be more than that? Imagine if every note, every observation wasn’t just about compliance, but about truly enhancing the care experience. At Volitio, we believe that documenting support should be a way to make a difference—not just an obligation. When support workers take notes with the intent to improve care, it transforms documentation into a powerful tool for change. It means capturing insights that can be directly applied to support plans, building better strategies for each participant’s well-being. This shift in mindset could encourage support workers to be more diligent, capturing the details that matter most to participants. Our vision is to transition much of this ongoing documentation to technology. By gathering and analyzing data, we can create personalized support plans for people living with disabilities that evolve as they do. Imagine a future where this data seamlessly passes from one support worker to another, or even into assistive AI systems. Ultimately, this data could even empower human-robotic collaboration, where technology becomes an extension of the care team, ready to support individuals in meaningful ways. Volitio is leading the way to this future. We’re building a platform that makes every note count—every daily record taken by support workers on behalf of participants becomes a step toward smarter, better support. Join us as we push forward, transforming data into action and reimagining what disability support can be. #Volitio #DisabilitySupport #AIinHealthcare #FutureOfCare #NDIS #SupportTechnology #HealthTech

Introducing Tools to Make it Count 🚀 We are thrilled to launch our latest publication Tools To Make It Count, as part of BC’s Disability Employment Month! This comprehensive resource is designed to help employers effectively measure disability in their workplaces and was created with BC employers and members of the disability community. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs It includes several different resources and learnings to prepare you to measure disability inclusion in your workplace: - Stats and data to demonstrate the importance of disability inclusion. - 4 easy to follow steps for developing and implementing a disability measuring initiative. - Practical solutions to common challenges to measuring disability. - Case studies and success stories to illustrate real world experiences from BC employers who are measuring disability. - Many free resources to further your learning and support in this work. Download Tools to Make It Count: https://lnkd.in/gB5bwiyg Image Description: A white graphic with bold blue arches in various shades along the right side in the shape of a wheel. Title: Tools to Make it Count. Text under title reads: A practical toolkit for measuring disability in the workplace. Above the title and text, in the top left corner there are two icons in blue. The first icon shows a hand-shaped cursor selecting box. Immediately to the right the second icon shows a magnifying glass over a piece of paper. The Accessible Employers logo is displayed in the bottom left corner. #DisabilityEmploymentMonth #BCDEM #MakeItCount

World first data asset to improve outcomes for people with disability. Accredited Researchers can apply now at www.ndda.gov.au A huge effort from the team who imagined what might be possible, the original members of the Pilot Disability Advisory Council for the National Disability Data Asset, to the current members of the NDDA Council and the Panels and their members who support this work. A truly co-governed program of work, with people with disability, deep data knowledge and lived experience with disability and governments both Commonwealth and state and territories. A true collaboration between DSS, and our technical partners Australian Bureau of Statistics and Australian Institutue of Health and Wellbeing, and all state and territory governments. Release 1 out today and more data releases planned for 2025. With a fully operational NDDA from 2026. This is just one of the deliverables under Australia's Disability Strategy 2021-2031. Department of Social Services (DSS)

National Disability Employment Awareness Month affects YOU. Here's why: 1️⃣: An estimated 1 in 4 people have a disability at any given time. And yet our workplaces are not designed with disability in mind. This means you or someone you care about faces barriers that hold you and your organization back. That's money, time, energy and life gifts wasted. Not good. 2️⃣: Accessibility benefits everyone! Not just those with disabilities. Why? Because when everyone's talent is at the table we do better. Also why? Once accessibility is built into your workplace, it's there if YOU need it, too. 3️⃣: Meaningful employment for disabled people creates a stronger world. There, I said it. When disabled people have access to meaningful employment... Families are stronger... Countries are stronger... Companies are stronger.. The world is a better place. Maybe that's cheesy, but it's why we're here, right? This NDEAM, take a moment and engage, learn, connect, and grow. There's a lot of employees and future employees out there ready to contribute. This is why entire chapters of my new book, Disability Is Human, are dedicated to creating an accessible workplace for all. It's that important. Not just to people with disabilities. Not just to me. But to YOU. Consider this NDEAM your moment to move that needle. Repost if you agree and want to share this message with your network. #NDEAM #DisabilityEmployment #Disability #Accessibility #Leadership #Management