Hon Carmel Sepuloni
Minister for Disability Issues
Hon Willie Jackson
Minister of Employment
21 March 2018
Practice Guidelines to support disabled people into work
The Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Employment Willie Jackson welcome the launch of the
new Employment Support Practice Guidelines: How to support disabled people to get the job they want.
“The development of the Practice Guidelines was a joint effort led by the New Zealand Disability Support Network
(NZDSN), bringing together representatives from the disability sector, provider groups and government agencies,” said
Carmel Sepuloni.
“The Practice Guidelines are an essential ‘how to’ guide for supporting disabled people into work, based on what’s been
shown to work best.
Minister Jackson says for many disabled people employment is a key aspiration.
“Disabled people bring fantastic talent to their employer’s business or organisation and work enhances their mana,
financial security and quality of life,” Willie Jackson said.
“The great work that employment support providers do every day is helping disabled people to find meaningful, paid
jobs.”
Minister Sepuloni said despite all the great work underway, the unemployment rate for disabled people is more than
double the rate for non-disabled people.
“The Practice Guidelines will set expectations for disabled people for the quality of employment support services.
“As an example, the degree of support a disabled person requires for daily living does not prevent them from seeking
work and could enhance, rather than reduce, their opportunities to get a job.
The Employment Support Practice Guidelines can be found on the NZDSN website atwww.nzdsn.org.nz.
ends