Working with people with disabilities – what you need to know

Autism, also know as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a developmental disability
that impacts social interaction, communication, information processing and the need
for structure and routine.

Challenges with social interaction stem from an inability to read others and can
include:

– Perceived aloofness
– One-way interaction and/or one-sided conversation often related to a strong area
of interest
– Avoiding eye contact
– Inability to read body language
– Inability to understand the unwritten rules of social engagement, for example
notions of personal space.

The communication impacts of autism include limited/no speech, difficulty initiating
conversation with others and repetitive use of language.

When overwhelmed or stressed, a person with autism may demonstrate repetitive
behaviours, for example, become preoccupied with particular subjects or unusual
objects. They might also engage in repetitive movements such as hand flapping.

Autism can impact work functioning in the following ways:

– Comprehension of information and instructions
– Problem solving and decision making skills (due to a focus on the details
rather than the big picture)
– Time management and organisation
– Ability to travel or live independently
– Appropriate behaviours and social skills
– Grooming and self-care.

People with autism are capable of learning although will often take longer than
others and they often require alternative teaching methods and extra assistance.

Another thing to be aware of is that some people with autism struggle to cope with loud
and busy environments.

People with mental health conditions often have more than one condition and each can
impact employment in different ways. Common examples include:

– Any health condition involving chronic pain and substance abuse
– Musculoskeletal disorders and major depression
– Any clinical psychiatric disability and personality disorders
– Mood disorders (bipolar affective disorder, major depression) and anxiety
disorders
– Any clinical psychiatric disorder and substance dependencies.

Complex co-existing conditions can impact employment differently from singular
conditions, for example:

– It can be difficult to identify employment restrictions
– Optimal treatment and care may not have been obtained for all conditions
– Even if all conditions have been optimally treated, it is more difficult to obtain
and coordinate information from multiple health professionals
– A person’s work history and perceptions of what they can manage is an
important source of information
– A person’s perceived ability to perform an activity can be the most important
factor impacting their work performance.

A person with an intellectual disability may experience challenges in one or more of
the following areas:

– Learning
– Communication
– Social skills
– Academic skills
– Vocational skills
– Independent living.

Intellectual disability can have an impact on the following things which are part of
employment:

– Literacy and numeracy
– Comprehension of information and instructions
– Short-term and long-term memory
– Attention span and concentration
– Problem solving and decision making skills
– Time telling/management and organisation
– Ability to travel and/or live independently
– Appropriate behaviours and social skills
– Grooming and self-care.

While people with an intellectual disability are capable of learning, their learning
is highly dependent on the person teaching them the competence and quality of instruction.

Teaching a person with an intellectual disability will often take longer and require
systematic teaching methods.

A learning disability is characterised by a difference in a person’s level of
achievement in some specific skill area as compared to their overall level of
achievement. It is not the same as intellectual disability.

Most people with a learning disability find learning more challenging than usual
because it’s difficult for them to receive and process information.

A learning disability often occurs only in childhood. When it persists into adult
life, it is possible for people of average or above average intelligence to
experience a significant delay in one or more areas of learning.

Learning disabilities are largely invisible, although some signs can include:

– Uneven or unpredictable performance
– Perceptual impairment, poor coordination or clumsiness
– Impulsive behaviour
– Low tolerance
– Problems in handling day to day social interactions.

The degree of difficulty a person has with learning varies greatly. At work, people
with a learning disability are likely to have challenges in one or more of these
areas:

– Academic skills (ie reading, writing, spelling, maths and language)
– Skills required for learning (ie persistence, organisation)
– Verbal reception of information
– Written instructions
– Literacy or numeracy requirements
– Attention to detail
– Organisational ability
– Acceptable behaviour and social skills.

People with a learning disability (such as dyslexia) might benefit from the following
modifications or adjustments at work.

Smartphones to assist with memory and planning.

– Task cards
– ‘To-do’ lists or checklists
– Screen-reading software (e.g. JAWS)
– Speech-to-text dictation software
– Verbal instructions

Depression and anxiety are the most common mental health conditions in Canada.

Both frequently coexist with other health conditions such as musculoskeletal
disorders and substance dependency. Depression frequently occurs with one or more
types of anxiety.

Some of the conditions associated with anxiety are:

– Generalized anxiety disorder
– Obsessive compulsive disorder
– Panic disorder
– Phobic disorders
– Post-traumatic stress disorder.

In severe cases, depression can cause extreme fatigue and inability to perform any
activities.

Although depression and anxiety are among the most treatable mental health
conditions, more than 40% of people living with these conditions are not receiving
treatment.

Lack of understanding of anxiety and depression in the community and workplaces is
common. Some of the symptoms of these conditions can be easily misinterpreted as low
motivation or lack of interest. When people living with these conditions feel they
are not understood or accepted, their  motivation and decision making skills
are impacted.

One of the best ways to support an employee living with anxiety or depression is to
implement workplace training to educate other employees and increase awareness of
these conditions.

Employees with a mental health condition might benefit from the following
modifications or adjustments at work:

– Flexible working arrangements, eg working from home, working part-time, change of
start/finish times
– Longer or more frequent breaks
– Partitioned area or private office to reduce noise/distractions
– Division of large projects into smaller tasks
– ‘To-do’ lists or checklists
– Regular meetings with supervisors.

Acquired brain injury (commonly referred to as ABI) is an umbrella term for any brain
damage that occurs after birth.

ABI is a complex, often hidden disability which may cause long term changes and
difficulties in five areas that can impact how people function at work:

– Cognitive functioning such as memory, concentration levels, initiative, problem
solving and flexibility
– Neurological functioning such as epilepsy
– Physical and sensory abilities such as vision changes, hearing impairment or
reduced ability to move one side of the body
– Psychological wellbeing including behavioural issues such as loss of inhibition
and outbursts
– Communication difficulties such as word slurring, speech impairment or excessive
talking.

Most people with physical disabilities are experts in their own needs and will
have a strong understanding of how their disability will impact their work.

The term physical disability is used to cover a range of conditions. The impact of
these in the workplace varies greatly.

Physical disability includes:

– Quadriplegia and paraplegia
– Musculoskeletal conditions and back injury
– Multiple sclerosis
– Arthritis
– Spina bifida
– Polio
– Occupational overuse syndrome (formerly known as RSI or repetition strain
injury)
– Amputation.

While some of these conditions are defined as injuries to the nervous system, the
impacts in the workplace are physical.

The common impact of this type of disability is physical functioning, ie mobility,
dexterity or stamina. In most cases, job redesign, flexible hours and workplace
modifications can accommodate physical disabilities in the workplace.

Employees with a physical disability might benefit from the following modifications
or adjustments:

– Ramps
– Scooter
– Stair lifts
– Automated doors
– Height-adjustable workstations
– Vehicle modifications
– Accessible bathroom
– Accessible lift
– Handrails
– Accessible computer keyboards, mouses
– Adapted office furniture or equipment
– Speech-recognition (speech-to-text) software.

A sensory disability most commonly affects a person’s sight or hearing, in other words, how they gather information from the world around
them.

People with sensory disabilities might benefit from the following modifications
or adjustments in the workplace.

For a person with hearing impairment:

– Hearing loops
– Vibrating or visual alarms
– Live captioning
– Auslan interpreters
– Video phones
– Subtitling
– Text Telephone (TTY) or Short Message Service (SMS) text messaging.

For a person with vision impairment:

– Screen-magnification (eg ZoomText) or screen-reading software (eg JAWS)
– Magnification software for mobile phones
– Braille machines and printers
– Video magnifiers for reading printed material
– Tactile ground surface indicators (TGSI)
– Contrasting work surfaces or trays
– Braille or tactile maps.

Substance abuse problems affect many people in society and often these people also
have other mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar
disorder.

A substance abuse problem is diagnosed when there is a significant level of distress
or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning
associated with the substance use.

People experiencing both mental health and substance abuse problems are often
described as living with complex co-existing conditions.

The most common type of substance abuse is drugs and alcohol, which can have a
significant impact on someone’s ability to gain and maintain employment.

Drugs and alcohol can:

– Impact on daily functioning
– Affect health either directly (as a result of disease) or indirectly (through poor
nourishment)
– Be associated with difficult family relationships.

Be impacted by the need to fund the drugs or alcohol, or by withdrawal symptoms when
unable to maintain sufficient levels of intake.

As a result of substance abuse, some people experience associated impairment and
acquired brain injury which can have long term impacts (even after withdrawal from
substances).

Abuse of substances such as drugs and alcohol can impact a person’s functioning
at work in the following ways:

– Lack of motivation and energy
– Difficulty maintaining focus and concentration
– Inappropriate behaviour and social interaction
– Low productivity levels
– Inability to handle stressful situations
– Poor planning and organisational skills.

People with substance abuse problems have more success in employment when there
is:

– A commitment to reduce or cease use
– Appropriate interventions to allow for withdrawal
– Ongoing support for maintenance
– Replacement prescribed medication (in some cases)
– Other appropriate treatment or counselling support.