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Without the support and flexibility of this
organisation and its management I would
not have been able to remain in the workforce
for the last 20 years. Todd has had
lifelong health problems with his kidneys.
It affects both his hearing and his eyesight
and it has required time off work for
major medical procedures and recovery.
I guess working in the public sector as opposed
to working in the private sector, the management is much more
flexible and understanding. Working for the Department of
Human Services has meant Todd has been given
flexible working conditions for his medical
care as well as assistive technology to
overcome his sight and hearing problems.
In a normal work environment I wouldn’t have
these two big screens that I’ve got at the moment.
So I need two screens, one is the main screen and one is the screen I
get my work via scanning. The fact is if I
had a normal screen, much smaller, 15 inch,
I wouldn’t be able to see my work as clearly
as I can now. So I’d be making a lot
more mistakes. Todd also spends a lot of
time with customers on the phone.
The other thing is with
my hearing problem I couldn’t hear most
of the customers over the phone using the
normal phones. So the department bought
Todd a hearing device that attaches to his phone.
It also comes with a microphone which means
I can then detach it from my phone and
take it to boardroom meetings. The workplace culture
at the Department of Human Services is one
of respect and inclusion, something Todd
has found to be very helpful. They’re very
good the staff at every office I worked at.
I used to work at different offices. But
they’re all aware of my hearing problems so
they manage to speak up or tap me on the
shoulder or something like that so staff are
very accepting of people with disabilities.
Todd recently got married and has started a family.
With his wife being a new resident in Australia she
has no family support. Again the department’s flexible
working conditions have helped Todd support
his family as well as his health. So I’ve
just had a recent baby and so I’ve now moved
to a different office closer to home.
The other way they’ve helped me is they’ve
allowed me to restructure my working
hours, change my regular working hours so
that I can work longer Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday, and go home earlier on
Tuesdays and Thursdays to spend more time
at home with my family. The Department of
Human Services is committed to removing
barriers that prevent employees from
participating to their full potential.
In Todd’s case it means a happier
family and a working life he may never have had otherwise.