[gui-talk] Fwd: Article: Disabled to solve skills shortage: features Law professor Ron McCallum

[Steve Pattison]

>From: Barbara denbar2 at tpg.com.au
>To: vip-l at softspeak.com.au
>
>News.com.au, Australia
>Monday, November 05, 2007
>
>Disabled to solve skills shortage: features Law professor Ron McCallum
>
>By Henry Budd
>
>November 05, 2007 02:33pm
>
>Stamping out prejudice ... Law professor Ron McCallum / Picture: Bob Barker
>
>DECEMBER 3 marks the International Day of Disabled Persons and this year's
>theme is "decent work for persons with disability".
>
>Almost 1.2 million people in NSW have a disability and when it comes to
>disability discrimination, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
>receives more complaints about employment than any other area.
>
>"Despite the ongoing skills shortage, people still tend to jump to negative
>assumptions when it came to deciding what disabled people can do," says
>Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes.
>
>"People with disabilities are very much underemployed in the Australian
>workforce, both in terms of being employed and in terms of the levels to
>which they are employed compared to their cohorts without a disability.
>
>"The figures do not seem to suggest the numbers of people in the workforce
>are increasing."
>
>Mr Innes, who is visually impaired, says while leaders often speak about the
>need for Australia to better utilise the workforce and offer incentives for
>older people to remain at work and women to return to work after having
>children, people with disabilities are being overlooked.
>
>"You do not hear anything like that from senior leaders about people with
>disabilities and I think that is disappointing because they are another
>group who could bring broader skills to the workforce were they encouraged
>in the same way," he says.
>
>Research shows that not only are disabled employees less likely to be
>injured in the workplace, they also tend to stay longer in each role and are
>more dedicated.
>
>"All those things are persuasive reasons to employ people with disabilities,
>yet they are not taken into account," Mr Innes says.
>
>The State Government has created the Don't DIS My ABILITY campaign to mark
>the day and raise awareness of the rights of disabled people to be employed
>on an equal basis with others.
>
>Don't DIS My ABILITY ambassador and University of Sydney law professor Ron
>McCallum was the first completely blind person to be given a professorship
>in Australia.
>
>He says advancements in technology over the past 20 years have made him more
>productive.
>
>"I do not think I could be a dean, a teacher, a dad, a husband and adviser
>to various state governments without the technology," Mr McCallum says.
>
>"Obviously, until scanners, I had to have everything read to me orally or
>put on to tape; that is a long, time-consuming process."
>
>With the use of the internet, scanners and synthetic speech technology, Mr
>McCallum is able to read law books and legislation using only his computer.
>
>Because of his standing within the law profession, Mr McCallum says it is
>difficult for people to be prejudicial towards him.
>
>"I'm aware young disabled people seeking jobs may find it harder," he says.
>
>"I think where we disabled people may get prejudice is when we enter new
>workplaces.
>
>"There is prejudice and I think that it has only been since the
>International Day of Disabled People began about 25 years ago that disabled
>people have come out and it has been a long haul," he says.
>
>Asking can be the best option
>
>Both Mr Innes and Mr McCallum say the best way to determine if a potential
>disabled employee will be suitable for the role is to ask.
>
>"If a disabled person applies for a job you should not say, 'Oh no, they
>could not do that.' It's best to talk to them,'' says Mr McCallum.
>
>The HREOC website says: "Discussion, questions and examinations regarding a
>person's disability and its effects may be legitimate, necessary and
>desirable."
>
>These discussions will allow the disabled person to explain how they will
>perform the job and any reasonable adjustments the employer might need to
>make.
>
>For more information see humanrights.gov.au.
>
>www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,22705226-5012427,00.html

Regards Steve
Email:  srp at internode.on.net
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