Your employer must provide reasonable adjustments to make sure your job suits your needs.
This can include:
- changes to work practices
- alterations to facilities
- access to specific aids or equipment to enable you to work effectively and comfortably.
Reasonable adjustments help you take part in employment the same as someone without a disability.
Your employer should provide supervision and support to help you understand your role.
This is the same for everyone at work.
Sometimes you might need NDIS supports to manage your disability and help you succeed at work.
For example, you might want to work different hours or need support and advice to do your job as well as your employer expects.
You might also need help if things change suddenly and your disability impacts your ability to adjust to those changes. For example, when work processes or job requirements change or you get a new boss.
In these situations, there are some supports that your employer should provide to help you.
Your NDIS or Disability Employment Service provider will advise who can best help you.
What can we fund?
We can fund the NDIS support you need that isn’t the responsibility of your employer or employment program.
For example, we could fund:
- personal care supports while you’re at work
- occupational therapy or vocational assessments to see if your disability affects how you work, and what supports can help you do your job
- extra on-the-job training and support with your work tasks if you need them sometimes because of your disability
- support to help you manage your behaviour or complex needs at work.
When do we fund ongoing supports in a job?
We’ll fund NDIS supports based on your needs.
We consider your hours of work if you need day-to-day, on-the-job NDIS supports. This could be support just for you, or in a group if you work with other people with disability. For example, in a supported employment service.
Depending on where you work, you might need a mix of individual support for certain tasks, and group support for other types of work.
This could be:
- capacity building supports to help you achieve a specific goal or overcome a problem. This is usually for a set amount of time
- day-to-day NDIS supports if you need regular and ongoing help when you’re at work.
If your goal is to change your place of employment, NDIS supports may be able to help you reach your goal.
For example, if you work in a supported employment service, your NDIS supports can help you develop your skills to move into another job.
What can’t we fund?
We can’t fund things at work that your employer must provide.
This includes any reasonable adjustments your employer needs to make so your job suits your needs.
This means we don’t fund things like:
- wages, insurance or superannuation
- recruitment costs
- changes your employer needs to make to recruitment or interview processes to make sure they’re fair for everyone
- employment programs to encourage and assist employers to implement recruitment policies and practices to hire and be inclusive of people with disability in the workplace. This includes training, resources, incentives for hiring people with disability, and wage subsidies
- employer compliance with employment laws, including those dealing with disability discrimination
- changes to buildings where you work, like accessible bathrooms
- work specific aids, equipment, computers or software to help you do your job
- travel as part of your work
- support, training and skill development that your employer provides to all employees
- changes to your work that your employer provides to make sure you do it safely and productively. These are considered reasonable adjustments
- changes to your work to make sure you have the same opportunities and conditions as everyone else, for example reasonable adjustments.
To learn more, go to section What employment supports are not NDIS supports? in Our Guideline – Mainstream and community supports.
Example
Jasmin has a physical disability and starts work at a bank. The bank installed a ramp and set up her work desk to meet her needs.
Initially, she worked short hours and went home at lunch time to use her NDIS supports for personal care and to eat lunch. As she becomes more familiar with the work, Jasmin feels she could increase her hours at work.
Jasmin and her support coordinator discuss how Jasmin could stay at work longer with her employment and support workers.
Jasmin decides to use some of her core funding to have a support worker come to work at lunch time to help her with personal care and eat lunch at work.
That way she gets the support she needs because of her disability and can stay at work longer.
NDIS supports while self-employed or want to start your own business
We may be able to fund the NDIS supports you need because of your disability to help you work in your own business.
This is where you work for yourself and not for a company or business.
You earn your income directly from your own business, trade or profession.
There are other programs that can help you if you want to work in your own business. Learn more about supports to help you start your own business .
The kinds of supports we can and can’t fund if you’re self-employed are similar to those already explained in NDIS supports while at work.
For example, we wouldn’t fund a bookkeeping course or accountancy fees, as this is something everyone pays for themselves.
NDIS supports while seeking a career change or to advance your career
You may want or need to change jobs because of your disability.
If you’re unable to return to your previous occupation because your disability support needs have changed or you’ve acquired a new disability, we can help.
We may fund employment-related assessment counselling and advice can help you to develop a new work pathway.
This NDIS support can help to identify your unique strengths and barriers to employment and inform a work goal and development plan.
Support can include:
- functional assessment to help identify your capacity to perform a job safely and effectively. It can also recommend reasonable adjustments and develop a plan to help you start work or return to work
- vocational assessment to evaluate your skills, qualifications and interests to identify potential future employment and training options. It includes a report outlining the types of work that might suit you, and a plan including the support you need to achieve your work goals
- education and support for you, your employer and others in the workplace
- counselling when your disability prevents return to your previous occupation
- assisting with adjustments to work processes or workplaces that will enable you to be productive and work safely.
You may want to change jobs to gain new experiences or to advance your career.
For example, you might want more hours at work, to take up a promotion, work for a different organisation, or move from a supported employment service into open employment.
If you need help to move into a different job role or workplace, speak to your my NDIS contact, support coordinator or recovery coach about your goals and the help you think you’ll need.
Learn more about employment supports to build skills for work here: Building skills and getting a job .