Our submission to the Royal Commission on Employment
October 8, 2020
This week Down Syndrome Australia provided the Disability Royal Commission with a submission on Employment.
We believe it is critical that the Royal Commission acknowledge that segregation of people with disability is a violation of the UNCRPD and that segregated employment is a form of discrimination against people with a disability.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD) states that Australia, should ‘recognize the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the right to the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.’
However, segregated work environments continue to be the most common workplace settings for people with intellectual disability in Australia. It is critical that the Royal Commission acknowledge that segregation of people with disability is a violation of the UNCRPD and that segregated employment is a form of discrimination against people with a disability.
People with intellectual disability experience worse employment outcomes compared to people with other types of disability and people without disability, and experience a range of barriers entering open employment. This often means that people with intellectual disability are forced to work in segregated employment receiving unfair remuneration. There is also significant evidence to suggest that individuals in segregated environments are much more vulnerable to abuse.
There is an urgent need for a national strategy to end segregated models of employments and to support people with disabilities to work within open and inclusive employment. We know from international examples that it is possible to move away from segregated employment models and have good outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities.
Read our submission to the Royal Commission on Employment in PDF here.
Read our submission to the Royal Commission on Employment in Word here.