Don?t be blind to the visually impaired, employers told

The event was attended by multiple federal politicians and afforded disability advocates the opportunity to impress upon th the importance of working together to reduce barriers for people who are blind or have low vision.A highlight of the night was the keynote address from Australia’s Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Mr Alastair McEwin, who encouraged a shift away from theoretical discussions about diversity and inclusion, and instead asked for renewed focus on tangible actions. He also said ployers needed to implent practical strategies to rove barriers for people with disabilities in the workplace.{{quote-a:r-w:400-I:2-Q: The government, ployers and community must work together to reduce barriers for people who are blind or have low vision from participating in the workforce. -WHO:Amanda Vanstone, Vision 2020 Australia board chair}}“Australian ployers need to take action to send the right message through voluntary organisational targets; a message that declares that disability does not equate to inability,” McEwin said.“ployers must think about inclusion and make reasonable adjustments to
support ployment of people with a disability. This is essential to developing a culture of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.”The chair of the Vision 2020 Australia board, Ms Amanda Vanstone, asked for collaboration in improving access to ployment for those with low vision.“An accessible workplace is simply good business and ployers can make their workplaces accessible. New technologies and redesigned workspaces are not difficult. More internships and graduate roles can be offered,” she said.“The government, ployers and community must work together to reduce barriers for people who are blind or have low vision from participating in the workforce.”The event is one of a raft of measures Vision 2020 Australia has implented to lobby the Federal Government with regard to ployment for people with a disability. In particular, it has challenged the government to have 7% of the public service ployed by people with a disability, including those who are blind or vision impaired, within the next five years.