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

[albert griffith]

Does anyone know what the unemployment rate for the blind is in, Australia?
I'd like to compare it to the rate in the U.S.  thanks 

-----Original Message-----
From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Steve Pattison
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2007 9:50 PM
To: GUI Talk; Access-L
Subject: [gui-talk] Fwd: Article: Disabled to solve skills shortage:
features Law professor Ron McCallum


>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
Skype:  steve1963
MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
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