On Friday, December 2nd 2011 representatives from Crown Melbourne and WISE Employment celebrated International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) at Crown College. The event focussed on promoting the benefits of the Disability Employment Strategy Crown introduced in May 2011, and celebrated the achievements of the six WISE job seekers who overcame their employment barriers through the program.

One of the program participants and newly appointed Crown employees gave a heartfelt speech on behalf of the other WISE clients who had gone through the Disability Employment Program.

The recruitment strategy was a major part of our success and so when the participants shared their thoughts on how they found the recruitment process? One summed it up well by simply answering…”Fun!” but collectively they all agreed that WISE have helped them every step of the way, they knew what to expect and learnt how to prepare for it and there were no surprises. Knowing that someone else believed in us helped us find our own confidence and strength to carry it through.

One participant shared;

“I now feel that I am a productive member of society and a great role model for my children. I have acquired a new set of skills and friends and I am a far more confidant individual… I am a people person and I thoroughly enjoy providing good customer service to our patrons. My depression and low self esteem are a thing of the past”

Senior Crown representatives also made poignant remarks during their speeches. One senior manager shared a personal experience of growing up alongside a sibling who has been profoundly deaf since birth. They expressed how recruiting through the Disability Employment Program is an important strategy for including able and willing job seekers, in the workplace.

Executive General Manager for Human Resources at Crown, Peter Coyne, told how he had seen the program improve since the partnership with WISE Employment began two years ago. He described the beginnings of the relationship with the early development of the Disability Action Plan, right up to welcoming WISE Employee Kylie Devers into the Crown recruitment team to help deliver the Disability Employment Strategy in 2011.

WISE was proud to be involved in this year’s IDPwD celebrations and to have an opportunity to recognise the success of the program, helping to raise awareness for both the WISE partnership with Crown and the Disability Employment Strategy.