Many people with psychosocial disabilities want to work and can work, but they often experience barriers to employment. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, only 26% of working-age people with psychosocial disabilities are employed, compared to 81% of the general population. At Candella, we are committed to reducing this disparity by making employment more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable.

In addition to our Employment Pathways Program, we have commissed research by Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney to better understand the barriers to employment faced by people with psychosocial disabilities. The research delves into the following types of barriers that policy makers, employers, service providers and research institutions need to work together to overcome:

• stigma and discrimination
• policy gaps
• service, program and legal shortfalls
• psychosocial disability factors
• workplace processes and practices

We will build on this research to increase the impact of Employment Pathways and to advocate for positive change. There is much work to be done before we can say that Australia is truly fair and inclusive when it comes to employment.