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Part 2: Issues for people with disability in staff selections

Introduction

The broad ranging consultations undertaken for this project revealed that:

current recruitment practices are often seen by people with disability as a barrier to their employment in the APS
there is a strong demand for training material that discusses the best way to manage and support people with disability during selection processes.

The material set out within this part of the toolkit covers a series of policies and practices that directly affect selection outcomes. This material has been compiled with the impact on people with disability in mind. Good selection processes, however, benefit us all, and many of these ideas are relevant to every selection exercise.

A quick checklist for people running selection exercise is included at Appendix A.

Available selections training

General selections training for APS employees, which includes advice concerning dealing with applicants who identify as having a disability is available as a package from the Australian Public Service Commission (the Commission). The Commission delivers this package either as part of its public programme or as a targeted in-house presentation.

For further information, contact your nearest office of the Commission. Contact details are on the Commission’s website.⁵⁰

How to use this part

Alternatively, if agencies wish to develop their own material, or incorporate material into their existing selections training packages that deal specifically with disability, the information in this section which is structured around the usual steps in a selection process may be of assistance.

The material includes:

background information about each of the topics that presenters can draw from to develop talking points
suggested key points that agencies can use to prepare overhead slides
some worked examples that illustrate the kinds of issues that arise when considering whether processes are fair for people with disability. Although they illustrate real issues, these examples are hypothetical and not based on the experience of any particular agency
some questions to provoke discussion among a training group.

The material has been provided in this toolkit so that agencies can take it and adapt it for their purposes in their own training. It has been developed with a particular emphasis on the processes that apply for competitive, merit-based selection for ongoing employment and jobs. Many of the principles, however, will still apply to other recruitment and selection processes. In fact, non-ongoing employment on many occasions may provide a useful opportunity for people with disability to gain entry to an APS agency. Strategies that might support this are set out in more detail in Part 3 of this toolkit.

Other training

There are many organisations that can provide APS agencies with specialist advice and training on issues arising from the employment of people with disability.

Co-worker training—the training of people who work in the same workplace as a person with a disability that lets them know about the nature and impact of that disability—is often available from the employment agency that has assisted with the placement. The agencies shown at 'Places to go for information' may also be able to help design training, or provide training about specific issues.

Other training about disability issues, including general training about disability issues or ‘disability awareness’ is available at a number of points on the Internet. As an example, the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet has a useful on-line course⁵¹ that is supplemented by an interactive CD.

In part 2

50 http://www.apsc.gov.au/regional

51 http://www.eeo.nsw.gov.au/disabil/employ/default.html

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