The State of the WA Government Sector Workforce 2024-25 report shows the number of people living with a disability employed in the public sector has only increased by 0.2 per cent over the past 5 years.

The current rate of employment of those living with a disability in the public sector is 1.7 per cent. The State Government’s target rate for 2025 was 5 per cent.

Chief executive of Developmental Disability WA Mary Butterworth says the current level of support for people living with a disability finding employment in the public sector was “pretty pathetic.”

“They’re not appreciating what a person with disability could bring to the workplace,” she says.

Ms Butterworth says job carving is a way government departments can increase the number of people they employ who live with disability.

“I think people need to think about the jobs in their workplace and what bits of those jobs could be given to a person with a disability,” says Ms Butterworth.

Vice chair of Microenterprise People Sharna Jarvis says there needs to be a focus on better understanding an individual’s passions and capabilities.

“Often people with disability aren’t given any choices. They’re not even asked what kind of work would you like to do, what would employment look like for you?

“It’s certainly important for anyone to make sure they are doing a job that taps into a motivation,” says Ms Jarvis.

Civil engineer Daniel Baines suffered a spinal cord injury when he was 23, leaving him in a wheelchair.

“If I was able-bodied, then I would have definitely leaned towards spending more time and gaining a lot more knowledge on site,” he says.

“There’s a lot of roles that I haven’t applied for because I know they need you to climb scaffolding or inspect steel work before concrete’s poured and stuff like that.”

Mr Baines says following what he has been passionate about has been key.

“You want to be in a workplace where you actually enjoy going to work each day. Other aspects of your disability just seem to fade away into the background.”

Professor of Occupational Therapy at Curtin University, Angus Buchanan, says the biggest barriers to employing people living with a disability is cultural attitudes and understandings in the workplace.

“As an employer, they need to think how they are going to create an inclusive environment which isn’t just about a ramp, it’s about attitudes and values,” he says.

Professor Buchanan says future change needs to be focused on highlighting people with disabilities’ lived experiences.

“The best educators are people with disabilities themselves.”

“I think there are people advocating around Australia, but there’s still a long way to go,” Ms Butterworth says.

“For people that have lived experience with disability, don’t think you’re limited in what your life or employment goals could be,” says Ms Jarvis.