BCCM launches Disability Inclusion Toolkit for CMEs

03 December 2019

Co-ops and mutuals take the lead in promoting workplace diversity

BCCM has launched a Disability Inclusion Toolkit to support co-operative and mutual enterprises (CMEs), to become employers of choice for people with diverse abilities.

Melina Morrison, CEO of BCCM said, “CMEs are naturally well-connected to their communities through their membership-driven business models. BCCM is acting on the evidence that retaining a diverse workforce leads to better business outcomes, and benefits for the wider communities that CMEs  operate in,”

“Research shows that the CME sector is generally more inclusive of people with disabilities, which includes over 2.1 million Australians. In celebrating the International Day of People with Disability, we are working to continually break down the barriers to employment that people with a disability can face.”

The Disability Inclusion Toolkit has been developed to:

• support employers to increase the number of people with disability they engage;
• provide the necessary workplace adjustments and initiatives that enable people with disability to work effectively; and
• ensure that businesses are getting the greatest benefit from a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

Ms Morrison said, “CMEs are encouraged to use the BCCM Toolkit to build more inclusive practices into their organisations.”

BCCM commissioned research by Per Capita to evaluate the state of employment of people with disabilities in the CME sector, conducting surveys, undertaking research and running workshops to identify what needed to be done to better enable supportive workplaces with diverse abilities. The Toolkit was designed to reflect the findings found through this research and to provide a step-by-step guide to CMEs that are striving to improve the inclusivity or their workplace.

To incorporate the Disability Inclusion Toolkit in their own businesses, CMEs can visit the Disability Inclusion Toolkit.