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What different types of disability are there?
The image of a person with disability is often limited to someone using a wheelchair or someone being assisted by a seeing-eye dog. In fact the range of disabilities experienced by APS employees and potential employees is enormous.
The formal definition of ‘disability’ is discussed in 'What are we talking about? Some definitions…'. The following material discusses in more detail some of the major classifications of disability and provides links to further information.
When a person with any type of disability joins a work team, or when an existing team member’s disability causes concern within the team, for example, where someone with a chronic or episodic illness becomes sick, it may be appropriate for an expert to speak with the team about aspects of disability, or issues relating to that person's specific disability.
In some instances the person with a disability may be happy to speak to the whole team about their disability and answer any questions. This will always be their decision. They may not wish to disclose details of their condition to co-workers or have it discussed in the workplace, and that right should be respected by their colleagues.
A manager may want more information to prepare themselves and their team to support a new employee with a disability. Often this will be available from the organisation that assesses the employee for a pre-engagement health clearance, such as Health Services Australia,12 or by an employment support agency that is helping the employee settle in to their new employment. In other cases, specialist advice and assistance is available from disability organisations, possibly on a fee for service basis. Some of these agencies are listed in 'Places to go for information' in this kit, or are contactable through the JobAccess website.13
Lily’s story
Ever since Lily was a small girl she has been dealing with the effects of her hearing impairment.
Her particular condition is unusual. While most people with hearing impairments hear something in a distorted way or not at all, Lily’s condition affects the way sounds that she hears are processed and interpreted, and can often change some sounds for others or create new sounds altogether.
For example
- she can be listening to someone speak and they will sound as though they are speaking another language, or
- someone can walk past her and she'll think they've whispered something, or
- she can see someone's lips move and know they are talking but only hear the fan that is blowing in the background.
One of the major issues that Lily has faced is trying to explain her condition to others. Even some medical specialists have found it hard to understand the nature of the condition.
The fact that Lily has been dealing with her disability for almost all of her life means that she has developed a wide variety of strategies. In her experience she has found that the most effective approach is to disclose her condition to the people she deals with regularly and let them know the best approaches for interacting with her.
The strategies that Lily uses at work to deal with the effects of her disability are a combination of experience and common sense, such as:
- checking with her colleagues whether she has heard something correctly, sometimes finger spelling it just to be certain. As she says: this gives people the opportunity to tell me if I have misheard a letter and then I can guess what the word is
- positioning herself in a room so that she has a better chance of hearing and so that she can read a person's lips while they speak
- after meetings, talking directly to people to confirm that what she thought happened in the meeting is the case.
Probably the bigger issue is dealing with the telephone, both understanding people who are calling her but also, before that, knowing whether the phone that’s ringing is hers or someone else’s. Phones can be adapted with a flasher for this purpose, but Lily hasn’t asked for one yet, and most of the time she can work out when the phone ringing is hers. Apart from that, Lily often encourages people to deal with her by email.
One of the most important things for Lily is the fact that her colleagues know how to work with her effectively
…when people know I have a hearing impairment in the public service, they seem to know what to do… Not many people realise that talking louder will probably exacerbate the problem, that it is more important to speak clearly. If I am having a particularly bad time with my hearing, people who are aware of my hearing issues will generally revert to email as the preferred form of communication because they know I find that easier and a lot less stressful. They will also know to get my attention before speaking to me and to not turn away from me or cover their mouths.
It is highly recommended that managers consult initially with the person with the disability. If he or she is willing to discuss their disability then managers will often find that the person has probably had many years of experience managing their disability, and they can draw on that expertise. This simple step may be the first and best thing that a person managing an employee with disability can do.
This kind of conversation is consistent with general approaches to performance management and staff development for every employee, and can be seen in that light. Managers should, of course, talk to all of their employees, not just those with disability, about what the employee is expected to achieve and what they might require in terms of support or developmental opportunities to do their job effectively.
The Job Access website provides a range of useful information about disabilities using the Workplace Adjustment Tool,14 a comprehensive database of modification and adjustment ideas that includes information about suppliers and products in Australia. JobAccess Advisers,15 also contactable through the website, can provide advice about workplace modifications, including referrals to suitable workplace assessors.
The following material, grouped against a number of common types of disability, which draws from material developed by the Public Employment Office of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet, may also be helpful.
Physical and Sensory Disability
Physical disability is in itself a broad term and encompasses a range of different types of disability such as:
- mobility and motor function disabilities
- vision and hearing impairments
- speech impediments
- neurological disabilities
Disabilities of this kind may or may not be visible. In some cases they may have existed since birth or been acquired as the result of an accident, injury or illness. Some disabilities occur with ageing.
Common types of reasonable adjustment
Because the range of physical disabilities is so broad, each individual’s experience of a different disability is so personal, and technologies and solutions available to assist people with disability are constantly changing, it is impossible to compile an exhaustive list of the different types of reasonable adjustment that might be made to support an employee.
The following list sets out some ideas for the kinds of adjustments that may be useful to agencies and employees.
- When someone starts in a new role, conduct a workplace assessment and provide the employee with furniture that meets appropriate ergonomic standards and is adjustable to meet their needs—whether or not they have a disability.
- Ensure that your building has proper access to people in wheelchairs or using other types of mobility assistance.
- Ensure there are proper arrangements so that staff with mobility impairments can get through entry security, e.g. automatic doors or gates should stay open long enough to allow a person on crutches time to pass through. Where possible, employees with disability should be able to enter the building through the same entrances as other employees.
- Ensure there is reasonable access to disabled toilets.
- Ensure office, meeting, training and amenity areas are set out to enable use by someone in a wheelchair.
- Be flexible about how, where, and even when work needs to be carried out.
- Computer-based technologies provide a wide range of assistance to people with varying degrees and types of impairment, including text enlargement, text reading, and voice synthesiser hardware and software.
- Install an induction loop to conference/meeting rooms to assist people with hearing impairments.
- Install visual alert systems to complement audio signals such as ringing phones, or fire alarms.
- Use active listening techniques (e.g. paraphrasing and repeating back what you have just heard) when talking to someone with a speech impediment.
- Train other employees in Auslan.
- Provide alternate means for people with disability to travel when required to for business purposes (including, costs for carers and other assistance where this is reasonable).
Additional detail concerning accessibility to premises for people with disability is set out at Making workplaces accessible.
Jo’s story
Jo works in a senior role in a small APS agency. She was born with her disability: cataracts in both eyes mean that she has a significant visual impairment that often makes it difficult for her to read text in some forms and that, in turn, often left her lacking confidence in unfamiliar situations early in her career.
In my early career, I felt that I had to prove that I was significantly better than anyone else… to make up for any perceived stereotypes about my abilities as a visually impaired person. Now I am much more confident in my skills, my abilities and my personal qualities, I do not feel I have anything to
prove, and that I can be judged on my experience and my achievements.
With developments in technologies, and changes in attitude over time to her disability, Jo has succeeded in her field. Her situation now can be compared with her early career when, although she was working as a psychologist/counsellor, she often had difficulty accessing jobs because she didn’t hold a driver’s licence and some employers were not willing to consider simple alternatives—such as letting her take taxis.
Now, says Jo, the adjustments that employers need to make for her are essentially routine, and she’s never had a problem getting the right technological support in the APS. This has mainly included technology like a larger than standard monitor and text enlargement software.
Other things are also easy to manage. For example, in meetings
- where there’s a PowerPoint presentation she can participate fully if she has a hard copy of the slides
- it often helps her if people say out loud what they’re writing down on white boards as they go.
It’s not all perfect, however:
It comes down to the awareness of individual people and their willingness to accommodate individual differences. At the end of the day, I do miss lots of information that is presented visually, and I have to make
up for that with my memory, my analytical skills and often extra reading.
Further information
A list of agencies dealing with employment support for employees is at 'Places to go for information' in this kit. Further information on particular disabilities is available on the Internet at sites such as the JobAccess website16 or the US Job Accommodation Network website.17
Intellectual Disability
People with intellectual disability can learn work skills and become productive members of the workforce.
Employees with an intellectual disability will have needs that vary from individual to individual. As with any other person with disability, people with intellectual disability should be approached as individuals with different strengths and weaknesses and, like other employees, will need to be managed and trained in ways that are personally appropriate to them.
Common types of reasonable adjustment
In the APS, employees with intellectual disability will often be supported in the workplace, at least for a period, by an external support agency that can provide training and support to the employee, and advice to the employer about job design, handling employment issues, and ongoing support.
Job design, and job redesign, will probably be the most common type of reasonable adjustment for employees with intellectual disability. Usually it will occur at the time of engagement with the assistance of the relevant support agency, but it may also need to recur over time as matters change. The design of positions for people with intellectual disability, and the training that goes with that, requires expertise and it is recommended that agencies consult with a support agency during this process.
In some cases, an employee with an intellectual disability may also require more time to learn a particular task. Advice on how to approach this issue, when necessary, can be obtained from the relevant support agency.
In some cases it may be appropriate to consider the use of the Supported Wage System18 if an employee with disability is unable to work at full wage rates due to the effect of their disability on their workplace productivity.19
Further information
A list of agencies dealing with employment support is shown at 'Places to go for information' in this kit, while further information on intellectual disability is available from the National Council on Intellectual Disability.20
Tracey’s story
Tracey is a senior manager in a regional office of a Commonwealth agency. In 2003 she was approached by Jobsupport,21 a disability employment service provider, to see if her agency could take on a placement with intellectual disability for a limited period of work experience.
Tracey met with Jobsupport and discussed whether there was scope within her agency for such an initiative and how this might be approached. She knew that there were a number of tasks that weren’t being done properly within her organisation because, even though they had the capacity to undermine the core business of her organisation, they were seen as being of low status. For example, the failure to attach critical documents to files often led to meetings being adjourned to the frustration of all parties.
Tracey felt that if these tasks could be bundled together they could form a job for a person with intellectual disability and would free up other staff to concentrate on other tasks, with an improvement to both efficiency and morale. She also knew that if there was an impact on productivity i.e. if the placement wasn’t able to work at a standard rate, she could use the Supported Wage System to pay an appropriate wage rate.
Jobsupport agreed to
- search their client database to find a suitable candidate
- provide a trainer on the ground in the agency to learn the duties and then train the employee in them, including the social behaviours that we often take for granted (e.g. where are the kitchen facilities, where are the toilets, should I join the coffee club and how does that work)
- after the training period, i.e. at the time that the placement was competent in the job, have the trainer remain in contact with the agency and continue to provide support on an ‘as needs’ basis.
After a short period Jason, a young man with intellectual disability, started work in the agency: delivering mail, doing trolley runs, putting files away and delivering them, and a selection of similar tasks.
The experience worked well for everyone concerned. Jason was in paid employment and visibly gained personal confidence and social skills. From Tracey’s perspective
Helping Jason to reach a level of competency became a project for the whole office and there was definitely a ‘feel good benefit’ for all of our staff.
After Jason completed the work experience we were so happy with him and the way it helped our records staff to perform other more complex tasks we employed Jason as an ongoing part-time employee at the APS1 level.
He’s still there today, still making his contribution and helping get the work done.
Mental Illness or Psychiatric Disability
A significant proportion of the Australian adult population will experience a mental illness at some stage in their lives. One study suggests that perhaps almost one in five adult Australians will experience some type of mental illness every year.22 It is very likely that there are a large number of people with mental illness working in the APS already, and working effectively, without having disclosed their disability and without their colleagues being aware of it.
Mental illness encompasses a range of conditions that affect a person’s emotional wellbeing and/or their understanding of reality. It refers to conditions that result in disorders of thought, emotion, perception and judgement. People with a psychiatric disability may suffer from a variety of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Most will seem no different from anyone else.
For employees with mental illness, concerns about experiences in previous jobs, fears about recurring episodes of illness, and anxiety about being accepted by co-workers can make the start of a job a particularly stressful time. In addition, people with a mental illness, as well as their families, professionals and the public, may view any sign of anxiety as an exacerbation of the illness, and this can add to the work related anxieties experienced by an employee who has a psychiatric disability.
Common types of reasonable adjustment
Like other types of disability, mental illness is highly personalised and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to the changes that need to be made in the workplace.
It is highly recommended that when a new employee commences work and has disclosed their disability, the manager asks him or her whether they wish to be 'open' with their colleagues regarding their illness. It is the employee’s right not to do so. It is a personal decision of the individual whether they disclose, or discuss aspects of, their illness.
There may be times when leaving the workplace and even hospitalisation is unavoidable for short periods. Flexibility and support at this time is important and a period of rest and re-establishment may be needed.
When a person is away from the workplace it is often very helpful for their colleagues to endeavour to remain in touch to ensure that they remain part of the ‘community’ of the workplace.
Supportive co-workers can also assist by focusing on the abilities and shared interests of the person with a mental illness. As with any other employee, a return to the workplace may mean new tasks, which should be selected carefully to ensure that they are consistent with the classification, skills and capacity of the employee. Providing support for learning new tasks may help alleviate a concern that might otherwise lead to quitting a job prematurely.
Other types of adjustment include:
- access to flexible hours and leave to deal with issues such as visiting doctors and therapists, and for dealing with the side effects of some types of medication (which can, for instance, make it harder for a person to ‘get started’ early in the morning)
- providing private or quiet work spaces
- co-worker training. Psychiatric illness is rarely well understood within the community, including the APS. It is useful for managers and co-workers to know what the implications of the disability are for them and what they can do to help if necessary.
Vince’s story
Vince has spent years working with people with disability in the community as a Disability Carer.
Tragically, a few years ago one of his clients, a young man with an autistic disorder, died suddenly. Vince had worked closely with the person for some time and was deeply affected by his death. At the same time he felt that he and his co-workers didn’t get the support that they needed from their managers. He felt that he had become isolated and his emotional state deteriorated quickly to the point that he wanted to leave his job.
Since then Vince has been diagnosed with, and had to deal with the effects of, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The effects of PTSD for him have included
- excessive anxiety and anger toward his workplace management team, peers and medical professionals
- difficulty in his personal life through excessive pressure brought into the home environment. Among other things, he lost contact with many friends and family members who could not associate with ‘such an angry man’
- health issues relating to substance abuse as he attempted ‘self-medication’
- loss of self confidence, inner drive, self-worth and sense of identity
- loss of his ability to work in chosen field of personal care for people with a disability.
Vince has continued to pursue his career in the public service, and has been promoted on several occasions. Each time he chose to disclose his disability during the selection process and discuss how it affected the way that he works. Mostly it doesn’t affect his work at all but, while he has made good progress in the last three years, he still needs regular leave to see his counsellor.
Each time that he’s changed job he has needed to discuss his situation and leave needs with his new managers, to explain his rehabilitation requirements. He’s also had to take some leave to cover his involvement in the coronial proceedings surrounding the death of his client. Being able to discuss his situation openly in a supportive work environment has been crucial.
His rehabilitation has also been helped by the active involvement of his doctor and his counsellor, who helped to design his rehabilitation programme. Setting up a network of support people, something that Vince did by himself, has also been helpful.
As for himself, Vince reports that this experience has made him
… a very understanding person regarding external and internal pressures that affect someone’s ability to work effectively, and due to my openness about the problems I have experienced I have been approached by individuals looking for a similar recovery process. I also realise that I have been an inspiration to some people—I have been seen to cope with high levels of pressure in the workplace despite the internal issues and have given some people the courage to persist despite the fears.
Further information
A list of agencies dealing with employment support is at 'Places to go for information' in this kit.
The Australian Government, in co-operation with the Mental Health Council of Australia, has also developed a free e-learning course, Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace. Further information about this course is available on the JobAccess website.23
Learning Disability
People with learning disabilities have different needs and approaches to the way in which they acquire, retain, understand, organise or use information. This can include the ability to:
- understand or use spoken or written language
- do mathematical calculations
- co-ordinate their physical movement
- retain working memory
- direct their attention.
A learning disability is not the same as an intellectual disability.
The term ‘learning disability’ covers a wide range of disorders. The best known learning disability is probably dyslexia but there are a range of other disabilities in this group.24 Learning disabilities range in severity.
People with learning disabilities may also have difficulties with organisational skills, social perception and social interaction.
Reasonable adjustment
As with physical disability, the range of learning disabilities is very broad and their impact on the individual is very personal. The following material provides some ideas about forms of reasonable adjustment that may be useful but, of course, the best ideas for reasonable adjustment are often available from the person with the disability:
- difficulties in reading from hard copy can often be helped, e.g.
- converting text to audio
- providing larger print versions of documents
- difficulties in reading from a screen can often be helped, e.g.
- using manual or electronic line guides
- altering colour schemes on the screen, or adjusting the font
- to help with spelling–related disabilities
- ask co-workers to help proofread written material
- word prediction software displays a list of words that typically follow the word that was entered in a document
- to help with writing-related disabilities
- use line guides (even bold lined paper), spacing adjustment and column guides
- create written forms to prompt the writer for information needed
- to help with mathematics/calculation-related disabilities
- use scratch paper to work out math problems
- provide a talking calculator
- to help with speaking/communication-related disabilities
- allow the employee to provide written response in lieu of verbal response
- allow the employee to bring a friend or co-worker to the meeting
- to help with memory problems
- provide checklists to help remember job tasks
- use flowcharts to describe steps for complicated tasks
- use a printing whiteboard at meetings
Further information
A list of agencies dealing with employment support is at Places to go for information in this kit. Further information on particular disabilities is available on the internet at sites such as the Australian Learning Disabilities Association,25 the Learning Disabilities Association of America,26 the JobAccess website27 or the US Job Accommodation Network website.28
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