Anonymous

As a parent of a 34 year old man who has Down syndrome, I would like to ask that the situation of people like my son are also taken in to consideration in formulating new policies with regards to employment opportunitites for people with disability. Whilst I support and have the greatest respect for policies that support open employment and inclusion for people with disability, I implore the policy makers not to forget that there are many people with disability who have been well served all their working lives by Australian Disability Enterprises. My son’s support requirements rule out open employment options, both from a practical perspective, and from his personal preference. He loves going to work in an environment where he spends his days with his friends, with whom he also socializes, doing productive work that suits his abilities. The ability of his Service Provider to offer a work option for him is being put under existential threat due to the priorities being given to wage increases and lack of governement support for this ‘older’ model. Losing his supported job would be a catastrophe for my son.