Down Syndrome WA

I would like to comment that it is critical ADE’s provide a transition pathway to open employment for young people who wish to transition into the open labor market.
We are aware that one of the current barriers is lack of further training and education to gain access to these markets. We knew that young people fall through the system when they are in Year 10 and 12 and we are delighted to work alongside NDS in WA who offer Discovery Formats conducted by drawing down 150 hours from the NDIA to allow a young person have time to explore what they would like to do in life.
We are also aware that if they choose to work in childcare they need a cert 3 for entry level and currently no courses exist to suit the learning styles of people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. We need to create courses that suit their learning styles and so here in WA we have partnered with a RTO to produce those certificates and currently we have the support of our Minister of Disability Stephen Dawson and our Minister for Education and Training Sue Ellery.

When these courses via traineeships are developed award wage is key to , real money for real jobs.

We need to stop undervaluing the contribution people with disabilities make in our communities and ADE’s need to totally revise their wage assessment tools.

I know three young people with Down sydrome in ADE’s who have aspirations to be in open employment , want further training and education and this is one of our top priorities in WA to provide those opportunities .

We currently have the support of two state Ministers to bring this about and this will change the fate of many young people who would otherwise fall through the system not currently operating.

I would like consultations with all ADE’s to be inclusive when planning the future of young people currently availing of their organisation to look to the future of these young people who now have power and choice and I say we give that choice back to communities willing to be innovative and create those opportunities not existing in our current organisations. All local governaments have a DAIP (Disability Access and Inclusion Programs) but how many are actually following through on this necessary right , to have a job with real award wages, doing that job with training and further education and having on the job support through their NDIS packages which will become a reality in the near future and already present in people’s NDIS plans and pricing structures.

Please review the way business is conducted in ADE’s and stop setting up a person with disability to be undervalued.

We are open to working alongside any ADE that has created transition pathways to open employment for those who wish to be in the open labor market.