When Grant Uther first reached out to Vision Australia, he wasn’t seeking assistance with employment support, but ultimately that’s how the not-for-profit organisation ended up helping.
Since late 2017, Grant has filled a customer service role with Australia Post in Brisbane following a career in computer maintenance.
“I used to be self-employed doing computer maintenance and that sort of thing and I came to Vision Australia looking for some assistance around what adaptive technology was available to support me in that role,” Grant said.
That decision put Grant, who lives with low vision caused by optic nerve hypoplasia, on the eventual path to connecting with a Vision Australia Employment Consultant who supported Grant through his career change.
“I’d been self-employed for a while but I decided I like to switch things up. I wanted a bit of a change, but also something where I could find a little more career progression and also learn some new skills,” Grant said.
“I didn’t really have a particular career in mind, I did a pre-employment program through Vision Australia and then worked with the employment staff at Vision Australia through the whole process of finding and applying for jobs.”
Vision Australia staff worked with Grant to identify jobs that suited his skills and interests, supported him to prepare a resume and conducted practice interviews. Importantly, Grant also received support around how to address his vision loss with employers
“With my Employment Consultant we’d go through the entire job application process and one of the biggest things in that was knowing how and when to disclose the fact that I had a vision impairment.
“That was a big thing for me, and being able to talk to somebody about how to go about it and what to actually tell a potential employer was a real help.”
While he’s now settled at Australia Post, Grant’s career change took a little longer than he had hoped. Unfortunately that’s not uncommon, according to Vision Australia Employment Consultant Robert Raiteri.
“It’s been a bit of long road for Grant, he’s got really good skills, but he’s had a bit of problem getting an opportunity. That’s the biggest hurdle, getting employers to make the commitment and give somebody who is blind or has low vision an opportunity,” Robert said.
“Speaking to most employers they generally want to help, but when it comes to having somebody who is blind do a job they can’t really understand how that might be possible.”
Robert said Vision Australia’s employment teams educate employers and co-workers about including people who are blind or have low vision, and carry out workplace assessments to identify equipment that clients may require.
Together, Vision Australia and Australia Post have provided Grant with an adapted workstation to allow him to preform his daily tasks like any other employee.
“With my vision, the issue is distance. The closer things are the more detail I can make out.
“We’ve adapted my work station with a monitor arm to bring the monitor closer to me and I use ZoomText, a screen magnification software, to help me read what’s on screen.
“The ZoomText has been what’s really made the difference. It was organised through the Job Access scheme and the IT department at Australia Post has been amazing in making sure everything’s gone smoothly.”
Grant’s supervisor at Australia Post, Shakira, said Grant slipped easily into the team.
“Everything has been great, Grant’s integrated like anyone else. It’s been a really good experience and something different for me as well,” Shakira said.
“There’s nothing his vision has stopped him completing in his role here. Every day he carries out his role to a high standard."
Vision Australia's Employment Assistance team provides a wide range of support services. Request a call back here and find out how they can help you in your employment journey.