Inner West Council staff member and former Citizen of the Year Jamie De Paulo stars in a new campaign to raise awareness of the successful contribution people living with disability are making to workplaces.
Jamie De Paulo said many employers didn't know how to treat people with disabilities. "They don't realise what kind of value someone like myself could bring to an organisation," he said.
He says he has found a supportive culture at Inner West Council, where he has works as a casual document and information officer, thanks to support from Job Access, the Australian Government's national hub for disability employment information.
Jamie is one of the human faces of a new storytelling campaign as part of the #EmployTheirAbility initiative.
Jamie is also a former Inner West Council Citizen of the Year. He was a volunteer in Council's Library and History Services before securing his current position.
"I've worked hard in the past to achieve something like this. And just to be included in such a big way, it's good to see hard work has paid off," he said.
"I find my job very rewarding and very satisfying. [It] means a lot to me to be part of the team and knowing that I belong.
"It's very important to give an individual a sense of purpose and I guess a sense of identity. That's what inclusion can mean to people."
Inner West Council's data and information coordinator Khush Pai said Jamie had made a big contribution.
"From my perspective, inclusion is about building up morale in a workplace and tapping into the potential of people with disabilities. We're all here to work equally and support each other equally."
She said the assistance of JobAccess had been invaluable. "It's wonderful that the support and guidance from JobAccess has given people with disability more opportunities and support. And the benefits can be seen, not only in my team but throughout wider Council."
Jamie's story is part of a powerful video series created inclusively for the campaign by Taste Creative and Bus Stop Films, who employ people with disability behind the scenes.
