Introduction
For centuries, disability has been considered an issue making an individual unsuitable for any kind of labor and therefore, doomed to spend the rest of their lives in need and poverty. Disability used to be associated with a major vulnerability that created physical and social obstacles the individual affected by it were unable to overcome. Today, the perception of disability and the people living with it have changed. Social equality tendencies have brought attention to the discrimination of the individuals with disabilities and biased opinions about their capabilities.
The modern world has a much wider range of opportunities for the people affected by disabilities of mental and physical character. They are able to obtain employment (both full and part-time), and be integrated in the society as equals. However, there are still a multitude of challenges for the people with disabilities in terms of income security and employment. This paper will discuss how the Australian welfare state has affected people’s living with disability in terms of income security and employment. This is an important problem that has been poorly reflected in the literature concerning the living standards in Australia (Saunders, 2005, p. 3).
The paper will first introduce the focus population group, its demographics and size, as well as their main issues and concerns. Besides, the social perceptions of people with disabilities will be discussed comparing the ways they were shaped in the past and in the present days. Further, the researched social domains in reference to the Australian society will be introduced. The development of income security and employment policies will be presented along with its impact on the life of people with disabilities. Namely, the report will focus on the strengths and weaknesses of these policies and the outcomes they bring.
People with Disabilities in Australia
The percentage of people of working age who are affected by disability is quite high. Overall, among the individuals aged between 15 and 64, the ones with disabilities comprise 16% of all men, and 17% of all women (Macali, 2006, p. 227; Mavromaras, Oguzoglu, Black, & Wilkins, 2006, p. 3). Besides, these people are more likely to have no higher education or a degree, to receive income support aid, and to belong in one of the groups with the lowest income (Mavromaras et al., 2006, p. 3). Moreover, for the non-disabled individuals who have family members affected by disabilities the labor market and income opportunities are rather limited (Mavromaras et al., 2006, p. 3).
Most importantly, the difference in the rates of employment of the two groups of people is very significant. In other words, people with disabilities are far more likely to be unemployed than their non-disabled peers (Mavromaras et al., 2006, p. 3). As a result, the relatives of such people are automatically put in the positions of caretakers as a part of their income goes to support the family members affected by disabilities. Consequently, the overall financial state of the family becomes unstable and poor. Also, the population with disabilities is statistically older as these types of conditions typically begin to affect the older individuals (Mavromaras et al., 2006, p. 3).
Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the majority of people with disabilities are of working age and could have been taking financial care of themselves if they were provided with such opportunity by the government, the policy makers, and the employers. However, Mavromaras et al. (2006) note that the individuals who become affected by disabilities in the early life have higher chances of getting employment than the ones whose disabilities occur in older age (p. 3). Besides, the likelihood of becoming employed for such individuals varies based on the severity of their health conditions, and the number of disabilities they have (Mavromaras et al., 2006, p. 4).
Perceptions and Attitudes
As mentioned in the introduction section, the public perception of the individuals with disabilities has been negative for centuries as these people used to be considered inadequate for the labour force market and useless as employees. The modern world is much more aware, tolerant, and open-minded towards a multitude of issues, and disability is one of them. Thompson, Fisher, Purcal, Deeming, and Sawrikar (2011) point out that in the contemporary society, the younger people and those with a better education tend to have a more positive perception of the individuals affected by disabilities (p. vi).
At the same time, the stereotypes and misconceptions are still quite popular; therefore, the social inclusion of people with disabilities in such spheres as education, employment, and social life is complicated. Consistent exposure to the communication with people who have disabilities is an effective way to defeat the negative stereotypes and misperceptions among the modern population (Thompson et al., p. vi). Negative attitudes towards these people are extremely harmful not only in the sphere of employment, but also in educations.
For instance, biased perception by schoolmates and teachers significantly reduces the academic success of the students with disabilities creating stress and unwillingness to stay in school (Thompson et al., 2011, p. vi). In many cases, teachers who are not trained to work in diverse classrooms and show flexible approach are reluctant to add children affected by disabilities to their classes. This outcome can be overcome if the educators are coached to work with the students who represent various communities and groups of population.
A similar tendency takes place in relation to employment. The misconceptions about the people with disabilities, especially those of mental character, make the employers feel as though they are not prepared to hire the representatives of this population group (Thompson et al., 2011, p. vii). In addition, the difficulty or inability to find employment contributes to the expulsion of people with disabilities from the society as having a stable source of income is one of the main predictors of respect of the surrounding individuals.
Income Security and Employment
Being employed and busy in the day to day life is viewed as one of the most crucial needs of people with disabilities not only from the financial point of view but also from the perspectives of health improvement and rehabilitation (Byrnes & Lawn, 2013, p. 46). According to Mavromaras et al. (2006), among the people with disabilities there are some who have higher chances of getting employed, keeping the jobs, and also finding new ones after losing employment. The characteristics of these individuals include having a higher education and professional degrees, being younger, and having a larger work experience (Mavromaras et al., 2006, p. 4). Analysing this tendency, one may notice that the individuals with disabilities in the labour market are evaluated in the same way as the non-disabled people – the job candidates’ younger age, better work experience, and higher education are the main advantages from the perspective of the employers.
In Australia, people with disabilities are assisted by the Disability Employment Services of DES, a sector that provides the support and jobs for this group of population (Byrnes & Lawn, 2013, p. 46). DES is responsible for the provision of pensions for the people with disabilities from the government to support their wellbeing (Byrnes & Lawn, 2013, p. 46). This sector is funded federally by DEEWR, or the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations and it works in collaboration with the JSA (Job Services Australia) under the Welfare to Work Initiative.
JSA is comprised of about a hundred of independent employment network providers whose main objective is to secure employment for the individuals able to work and ensure the financial security of people with disabilities who cannot work (Byrnes & Lawn, 2013, p. 46). DES is challenged with a difficult task of finding the suitable employment for the individuals with rather complex disabilities (either mental or several at a time). Placing such people may be quite a problem in the modern business environment where the delivery of high-quality results within the shortest periods of time is a necessary demand. As a result, the specialists of DES are to take into consideration multiple factors such are the requirements of the particular jobs, along with the knowledge, abilities, and experience of the clients.
Policy Development
The main focus of the Employment Services for the people affected by the disability is to increase the employment participation among the individuals of the working age (Dalton & Ong, 2007, p. 3). The rate of active search or pursuit of job opportunities among the Australian population with disabilities is rather low. According to Dalton and Ong (2007), the receipt of DSP (Disability Support Pension) “is traditionally associated with low labour force participation levels” (p. 3). This tendency is explained by the fact that DSP is a payment that is not connected to the activity of the individuals.
In other words, the recipients are not obliged to search for employment in order to be paid and supported. Dalton and Ong (2007) report that the data of 2002 showed 88% rate of inactivity among the people with disabilities receiving DSP in Australia while only one tenth of all the population was working (p. 3). To compare, among the people with disabilities who were not the recipients of DSP only one fifth remained unemployed in the same year (Dalton & Ong, 2007, p. 3). That way, the connection between the pension provision and job participation is quite obvious.
In relation to the Australian welfare reforms concerning the support of people with disabilities, Humpage (2007) brings up the social and medical models of disability (p. 215-216). The former represents an older way of perception and approaches the concept and the nature of disability environmentally and sees disability based on the affected individual’s relationships with the community and the society in general. According to this perspective, the solutions to problems faced by the people with disabilities can be found through the “social policy and institutional practice” (Humpage, 2007, p. 216). At the same time, the medical model of disability is the one that appeared later in the history when science and medicine gained more influence. This model is supported by the new views on the Australian welfare reforms supporting the idea of turning the provision of DSP into a mutual obligation and viewing the individuals with disability as the centre of their issues (Humpage, 2007, p. 216).
Strengths
Drake, Skinner, Bond, and Goldman (2009) notice that the older policies related to the support of people with disabilities were designed to aid the individuals severely affected by their poor health conditions and having to live without any chance of going back to work for the rest of their lives (p. 761). Today, as the perception of disability has changed and many more individuals started to be recognised as affected by disabilities, and a large portion of them is willing to find employment for the improvement of the financial state, for better social status, or as a part of recovery. The main strength of the new policies designed to stimulate the individuals to find long-term employment is in the support of their aspirations and wishes (Drake et al., 2009, p. 761).
Also, the medical model of disability allows seeing these individuals as able-bodied and functional so that they can break their dependency of the welfare policies (Humpage, 2007, p. 217). Besides, the new approach helps the individuals with disabilities to reintegrate in the society. Moreover, stimulated to obtain jobs, people with disabilities are motivated to interact with the colleagues without disabilities; and this activity serves as a benefit for both sides – the former begin to feel more included, and the latter learn about this group of population getting rid of misconceptions and negative stereotypes.
Weaknesses
The weaknesses of this approach are reflected in the criticisms of the medical model of disability. From the point of view of the opposition, regardless of how powerful and impact of medicine is in the society, the power of stereotypes and the general built of the society are responsible for a large part of attitudes and perceptions of disabilities (Humpage, 2007, p. 217). As a result, the medical approach may not work if the social conditions in a society are unsuitable. Therefore, the people with disabilities motivated by the mutual obligation policy of support would search for the employment, find jobs and face even more challenges related to social pressure, exclusion, and negative stereotypes. A way to address this disadvantage lies in the preparation of the workplaces to accept the individuals with disabilities. In other words, it might make sense to have a committee checking all the employers of people with disabilities and making sure the working environments are pleasurable.
Conclusion
To sum up, the modern society has a much warmer attitude towards people with disabilities than it used to in the past. However, this group of population is still under a lot of social, emotional, and financial pressure. The provision of pensions to the individuals with disabilities stimulates their passive lifestyles even though many of them would like to have jobs (Dalton & Ong, 2007, p. 3). As a result, the policy of mutual obligation motivating the labour force participation is in place in Australia. This approach combines the aspects of medical and social understanding of disability and trains the individuals affected by it to be more confident and less dependent on the welfare regulations (Humpage, 2007, p. 217).
References
Byrnes, C., & Lawn, S. (2013). Disability Employment Services in Australia: A Brief Primer. The Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling, 19(1), 46-56. Web.
Dalton, T. & Ong, R. (2007). Welfare to work in Australia: disability income support, housing affordability and employment incentives. European Journal of Housing Policy, 7(3), p. 275-297. Web.
Drake, R. E., Skinner, J. S., Bond, G. R. & Goldman, H. H. (2009). Social Security and Mental Illness: Reducing Disability With Supported Employment. Health Affairs, 28(3), 761-770. Web.
Humpage, L. (2009). Models of Disability, Work and Welfare in Australia. SP& A.
Macali, L. (2006). Contemporary disability employment policy in Australia: How can it best support Transitions from Welfare to work. Australian Bulletin of Labour, 32(3), 227-239.
Mavromaras, K., Oguzoglu, U., Black, D., & Wilkins, R. (2006). Disability and Employment in the Australian Labour Market. Web.
Saunders, P. (2005).Disability, Poverty and Living Standards: Reviewing Australian Evidence and Policies. SPRC Discussion Paper, 145, 1-15. Web.
Thompson, D., Fisher, K. R., Purcal, C., Deeming, C., & Sawrikar, P. (2011).
Community attitudes to people with disability: scoping project. Occasional Paper, 39, 1-77.