Stevie the strapper’s shared win on Melbourne Cup Day has proven a real tonic for disability advocates in the Mountains.
Helping his sister Michelle Payne prepare to ride, and eventually win, on Prince of Penzance in the 3,200 metre Melbourne Cup was the first time he had worked on the biggest day in Australian racing and he ended up smack bang in the media spotlight afterwards.
“Seeing Stevie being celebrated for his hard work and actually addressing the crowd on the day shows that people with quite obvious disabilities can and do provide an essential part of community life,” said Nova Employment’s Springwood manager, Rachel Hampshire.
“Seeing someone with Down syndrome being treated as an equal member of society is a wonderful thing and will help with diversity as a whole, not just in the work place.”
“I heard Michelle Payne also saying something similar, to know Stevie is to love him, and he wasn’t there as a token gesture — he had a serious and very important job to do.”
The disability employment service, with offices locally in Springwood and Katoomba, is on a campaign with the Blue Mountains Gazette to employ 100 people in 100 days.
Ms Hampshire said it’s a case of “people starting to not judge a book by its cover”.
“Just because you look a certain way doesn’t mean that’s all you are; and that can go both ways.”
She said Nova worked hard to match clients with the right employer.
“Employers, I find, are becoming more open to the idea of hiring someone with a disability. Most people have either personally experienced or had a family member experience anxiety or depression. When one points out to them that this is a disability and may need assistance to overcome that barrier you can start to see people thinking about disability in a different way.”
And she encouraged more Mountains employers to get on board.
“We probably have at least 200 employers we work, or have worked, with in the Mountains. People with disabilities tend to stay longer in employment and are dedicated workers. They understand how difficult it can be to find a job they enjoy with an employer that supports them and their loyalty knows no bounds. I would say to employers who think that someone with a disability couldn’t do the job they require or even if they could it would be a drain on resources — talk to us, come and meet an employer who already has made the wise business decision to use Nova.”
The Focus on Ability campaign is about developing careers for Blue Mountains residents with a disability.
Nova CEO Martin Wren said the 100 jobs campaign “engages at a local level with more employers to get people with disabilities into sustainable employment”.
“We are really looking for employers who are prepared to give people with a disability a fair go, in the same way you would for a person without a disability.”
Nova has been operating in the Mountains since 1989.
Over the years Blue Mountains workers have been placed in a wide range of jobs from forklift drivers and receptionists to positions in the personal service and clubs industry, even at a spectacle frame manufacturers.
NOVA can be reached at 4780 6600 and 4752 3000. Sometimes financial incentives apply to employers.
Ms Hampshire said it was all about breaking down barriers in the region.
“Opportunities are opening up all the time for people with disabilities in employment, in society and in contributing to mankind. Steve Jobs (dyslexia) and Bill Gates (Asperger’s) and many well-known people - and certainly nearly all of the superheros from movies and comic books - have had barriers/disabilities to overcome. There is nothing noble in succeeding when everything is handed to you on a platter — but there sure is if you’ve had to fight for it.”