Disability Employment Australia
2024 Conference

Presentations

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Getting ready for the sub 8 hour benchmark participants – how do we effectively work with these clients?

Catherine and Luke will discuss strategies for working with participants who currently have sub 8-hour benchmarks and rarely commenced in DES. Many of these participants have an Intellectual Disability.  Catherine and Luke will share their personal experience and emphasise the need for resources to train DES staff about the needs of people with an intellectual disability specifically, and what works for this cohort in getting and keeping a job. They believe an essential role for a new DES system and DES providers will be collecting what is already known and sharing best practice across the community, to people with disability, families, employment services, and employers.

Presenters

Catherine McAlpine

Catherine McAlpine

CEO, Inclusion Australia

Catherine McAlpine is the Chief Executive Officer of Inclusion Australia, the national representative organisation for people with an intellectual disability and their families.

Catherine is a respected leader in the disability community, with previous senior roles in state and national advocacy and not-for-profit disability organisations. Her focus is on supporting the rights and empowerment of people with intellectual disability and their families. She has spoken as a witness at several Disability Royal Commission hearings on employment and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Catherine has a track record of collaboration and innovation to increase the inclusion of people with a disability. This is informed by her previous roles in the corporate sector, and running a small business, which gave insight into the need to base reform around sustainable business models.

Luke-Nelson

Luke Nelson

Policy Officer, Inclusion Australia

Luke Nelson is a 35-year-old self-advocate who has been active in the disability sector for the past 17 years. He has played an important role in supported decision-making policy creation as well as participated on reference groups, educated Social Worker students about choice and control for people with an intellectual disability and supported people with intellectual disability to understand their rights. He has an engaging energy and excellent knowledge of disability advocacy. He is often asked to present or be part of panels where he can share his personal experience as well as his professional experience through his roles with Inclusion Australia and VALID. Luke is currently a Policy Officer at Inclusion Australia.