Image: Ploy Sirayanyong, Telstra graduate
For Ploy Sirayanyong, joining Telstra as a graduate fresh from university was a nerve-wracking leap of faith.
Not only was it her first foray into the job market, but with a rare eye disorder curtailing her central vision, the whip-smart 21-year old was wondering if she'd ever land "a proper job".
Three years later, Ploy has worked across Telstra's sales, marketing and e-learning businesses, and is currently making waves as a product marketer for cloud-based portfolios.
"It's been really inspiring to experience so many aspects of the business," says Ploy. "Since I joined, the whole of Telstra seems to have got better at supporting people with disability. There's better awareness, better tech, and much more effort to make workplace adjustments from the get-go."
For Ploy, those adjustments include a screen reader and a laptop magnifier, video-enhanced web conferencing, and various Apple accessibility products. But the best assistance of all, she says, has been the attitude of her colleagues.
"My managers and workmates have all been fantastic – so kind and supportive, always checking what's the best way for me to work."
Ploy believes that Telstra's commitment to have people with disability make up at least 10 per cent of the graduate program has been a game-changer for the company.
That commitment, made in March 2017 in Telstra's first Accessibility & Inclusion Plan, was scheduled for June 2019 – but it was reached a year earlier, when 11.7 per cent of Telstra's starting graduates in FY18 identified as living with a disability.
"It's very easy for someone like me to start thinking that any organisation focused on making money just won't hire someone with a disability," says Ploy. "But companies with a clear commitment to inclusive employment make a huge difference – even if they have to involve targets.
"This kind of target shows a proper commitment that, straight away, you can see filtering down through the whole organisation."
This story was reproduced from All In – Telstra's Accessibility & Inclusion newsletter, December 2018.
