Overview of the first Inclusion Webinar: Establishing Disability Contact Officers
On 6 October, the APSC held its first Inclusion Webinar - Establishing Disability Contact Officer (DCO) programs. Over 50 participants from across the service attended.
It was a privilege to have Anna Calder from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and Daniel Savage from the Department of Social Services (DSS) as our inaugural guest speakers.
Anna provided a small agency perspective on establishing a DCO role, including lessons learned, and simple initiatives to improve trust and streamline services. She showcased how this was successfully achieved within a complex workforce structure and during an election year.
Daniel provided an overview of establishing a DCO program in a large service delivery organisation. This included the importance of early intervention and upskilling managers so they have the knowledge and confidence to support their employees.
Overall, a highly regarded session provided practical skills and advice on how DCO roles help managers and staff to break down the barriers that people with disability face in the workplace.
Some of the key themes included:
- The importance of building trust between the DCO and employee
- The need for everyone in the organisation to understand reasonable adjustments processes
- The importance of using inclusive language
- Disability identification (self-reporting in HR systems)
- Accessibility.
For those that missed it, a recording of the webinar was shared on the APS Diversity and Inclusion Discussion Forum on GovTeams.
If there are topics you would like us to explore in future webinars, please reach out to us at diversity@apsc.gov.au