Meet Joshua, a 21 year old young man who was born with microphthalmos and sclerocornea. Complications that resulted in vision impairment in both of his eyes since birth and led Joshua to learn to live with his disability by relying on a cane for mobility and magnification and speech equipment.

Joshua never once allowed his disability to stop him from achieving his life goals

In 2019 he successfully completed his HSC, followed by a Statement of Attainment in Administration Skills, Certificate III in Music, Certificate II in Retail Services, and Certificate III in Business Administration – all in just three years

Joshua also volunteers for Vision Australia and supports them with data entry tasks – but despite his determination and increasingly impressive resume, he hadn’t yet secured a role through his former employment services provider.

So, when he and his family requested a transfer to MTC’s Disability Employment Services (DES) at Cabramatta in June 2021, he was welcomed in by Customer Experience Coordinator, Priscilla.

A proactive plan put Joshua in the right place at the right time

Priscilla initially introduced Joshua and his father to Mimi, a DES Recruitment Partner, and they worked together to put him in the best possible position to find suitable employment. First they updated his CV, then they created a reverse marketing plan – and then the unexpected happened: Sydney entered yet another spontaneous lockdown, and supporting Joshua became 100% virtual by necessity.

Joshua was supported through this challenging time with the use of software like Microsoft Teams for calls and connection, with Mimi keeping him motivated and focused on his ultimate end goal of finding work.

Once Sydney began to reopen Joshua was ready and he and Mimi began actively seeking out a role with a benchmark of eight hours per week that would be suitable for both Joshua’s condition and his long-term goals.

Interviews with various organisations followed but Joshua was let down multiple times by potential employers when they met face-to-face, as hiring managers seemed hesitant to hire someone with his conditions.

Buoyed by Mimi’s reassurance that the right role for his professionalism and work ethic was imminent, Joshua eventually met with a Bankstown based employer from the aged care sector – Your

Aged Care at Home.

They had previously taken on an MTC customer, so Mimi arranged a meeting with their Operations Manager to discuss potential opportunities for Joshua’s skills and achievements.

Joshua was supported by Priscilla at every step from application to acceptance & beyond

The employer was deeply impressed by the sheer number of accomplishments Joshua had racked up in such a short period of time, and intentionally made room for him to take on an administrative role at the company.

A Microsoft Teams presentation was scheduled for August 1 2021 with Your Aged Care at Home’s Operations Manager and Director, swiftly followed by a face-to-face interview three days later thanks to Joshua’s impressive presentation and communication skills.

As a testament to his commitment to getting the job Joshua made a trip out to the Your Aged Care at Home office – without a support worker – to ensure he could get there on time and navigate his way around.

On the actual day of the interview Mimi accompanied Joshua to the interview, which lasted for nearly 45 minutes and ended with the magic words: “When can you start?”

Mimi then arranged specialised magnification equipment for Joshua, supported by his new employer, and an assessor was arranged through Job Access to visit his workstation and check what additional items would be needed for Joshua to comfortably complete his daily tasks.

Joshua’s stellar work ethic continues to open new doors for him

Since then, Joshua has been thoroughly enjoying his new role and responsibilities, plus he’s made such an amazing impression on his new employer that they’re already talking about progressing him to a leadership role in their NDIS division.

An incredible outcome that’s a direct reflection of Joshua’s determination to succeed and a shining example of how employers like Your Aged Care at Home can give people living with disabilities the chance to achieve their goals and create a life they love, simply by believing in them.

Congratulations Joshua!!

Register here if you’d like one of our team to give you a call to talk through the support provided by the Disability Employment Services (DES) program.