Our #Vision4Vic campaign has extensively highlighted the barriers people who are blind or have low vision face to finding employment in the lead up the to 2018 Victorian State Election.
Our campaign has encouraged people from our community to contact their local MP, and stress the importance of workplace accessibility and we’re pleased that message has made it to the floor of the Victorian Parliament.
As a result of being contacted by an engaged voter who lives with vision loss, Clarinda MP Hong Lim highlighted the challenges people who are blind or have low vision or who live with any other disability face when looking for employment in a recent parliamentary speech.
“It is estimated that nearly 100,000 Victorians are blind or have low vision and that this number will continue to rise as our population ages. It is well known that people with a disability still remain significantly underrepresented in Australian workforces…This is unacceptable and largely due to people with disability facing multiple barriers to employment, which restricts economic participation and independence,” Mr Lim said.
Mr Lim’s speech is a result of the extensive work done through the #Vision4Vic campaign by both our community advocates and Vision Australia Advocacy team members. Throughout the campaign, we have engaged with 88 Victorian MPs who are now more informed about the need to prioritise the rights of people who are blind or have low vision.
Workplace accessibility, public transport access and the NDIS have been at the forefront of our #Vision4Vic campaign and you can find out more here.
You can also read about the faces of our campaign, who shared their experiences as part of our push for change:
- Karen: Persistence overcomes preconceptions
- Hamish: Life-changing accident motivates Hamish
- Marisa: Marisa’s bold career move
- Lindsay: Embracing diversity in the workforce
- Di: It’s all about attitude
- Kenny: When you give someone a chance
- Annette: Annette’s ambition drives successful career
- Neslihan: Neslihan’s story all too common
- Paul: Paul pushes to keep his career after vision loss