The CCIWA-led Ability Link project, which is building the capacity of small and medium-sized businesses to hire more jobseekers with disability, has been extended following a $300,000 funding commitment from the State Government.
Following a successful 12-month trial, CCIWA has been awarded the funding to continue delivering Ability Link for another year – offering businesses support to employ people with disability across different industries. 
Perceived barriers to hiring people with disability include cost, safety, physical work demands, and red tape.
The Ability Link program aims to address these barriers by providing practical support, education, and tailored advice to create employment pathways for people with disability.
In its first year, the program reached more than 10,000 employers, engaged over 700 stakeholders, and built resources and case studies.
Among the highlights were helping a young woman with a cognitive disability into a care role and placing three students with autism into jobs in construction and local government.
The next phase of Ability Link will continue to bring together key stakeholders across the disability support community and build up business navigation advice for employers.
This will include the establishment of several significant joint programs that will lead to real employment outcomes for people with disability and work to promote the benefits of disability employment to inspire businesses to take the next step.
New disability procurement directory
It will also seek to develop a framework for a WA-specific disability procurement directory that will better enable businesses to identify and procure goods and services from businesses that support disability employment.
Ability Link was launched in August 2024 to assist in delivering the recommendations of CCIWA’s Tapping the Talent Pool of People with Disabilities report.
The report outlined ways to improve employment opportunities for people with disability in the SME sector, including providing information on supports and services available, delivering strategies to assist businesses, and creating workforce entry pathways.
The Ability Link program aligns with the vision and intent of ‘A Western Australia for Everyone: State Disability Strategy 2020-2030’, which contains a firm commitment to supporting people with disability to find meaningful and sustainable employment.
Inclusive communities ‘a priority’
WA Disability Services Minister Hannah Beazley said creating inclusive communities was a State Government priority and improving employment outcomes and ensuring economic participation for people with disability meant greater inclusivity.
“Having a meaningful job brings a sense of purpose, belonging and independence, and enables people with disability to fulfill their potential,” she said.
“We know many businesses are open to the idea of employing people with disability but are unsure where to start or what opportunities exist.
“Ability Link aims to support and inspire businesses to hire people with disability by delivering practical support, education, and tailored advice to create workforce entry pathways for people with disability.”
She added: “We want WA businesses to know that employing people with disability is both the right thing to do for their business, but also the smart thing to do.”
“Employing someone with disability can help create a more diverse workplace, improved culture and productivity, as well as ongoing community support through a strengthened social license,” she said.
An ‘untapped resource’ in workforce
CCIWA Chief Economist Aaron Morey said people with disability had a huge contribution to make to the economy and were really an untapped resource in the workforce.
“There is a wealth of research that tells us that businesses that excel in disability inclusion are more profitable, their customers are more loyal, and their other staff are more likely to stay,” he said.
“We hope the Ability Link project is the first step towards a dramatic shift in the role people with disability play in our workplaces.”
Find out more about Ability Link here, including our free webinar series and business case studies.
