A man with disability was not aware he was in a supported employment position that paid $11 an hour until he had worked several shifts at a coffee shop, an inquiry has heard.
The ninth public hearing of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability is examining pathways and barriers to open employment.
Cody Skinner told commissioners he lives with deafness, autism spectrum disorder and has had some mental health challenges.
All his previous jobs were in open employment with regular wages, and he told the hearing he only realised he was in a supported position after several shifts.
He said he noticed the pay was “very different” when he looked at his bank statement that read $11 per hour.
“I was expecting 20 odd dollars an hour like my previous job,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter if you have a disability or not, it should be the same wages.”
Mr Skinner told the hearing on Monday that when he made a mistake at work, his boss would clap at him even though he told her it was inappropriate.
“She was trying to get my attention and trying to yell at me,” he said.
He said the role was affecting his anxiety and his psychologist decided to accompany him to work, which angered his boss.
“That night, I had a mental breakdown and I was admitted to hospital because of what happened that day by the boss,” he said.
Mr Skinner left soon after because of the wages and the way he was treated, and now has his own business running workshops and teaching AUSLAN to businesses.
Inclusion Australia CEO Catherine McAlpine told the hearing about segregated employment through Australian Disability Enterprises where people with intellectual disability only work with other people with intellectual disability.
“Unfortunately there are well polished pathways from segregated education into segregated employment,” she said.
“We hear too often of people who are in special schools, who either never get work experience, never talk about work at all, or if they do, they go only to an Australian Disability Enterprise because it is presumed that is the only place they will ever work.”
Senior counsel assisting Kate Eastman said that in 2018 the median gross income for a person with a disability aged between 15 and 64 was $505 a week.
That compared to $1016 for people without a disability.
Commissioners heard that an assessment can be made to determine rate of pay as a proportion of capacity.
“Under that system, a person with disability may be paid as little as $89 a week, and that translates into $2.34 per hour for full-time employees,” Ms Eastman said.
The week-long hearing will hear directly from people with disability who struggle to find meaningful work and face discrimination in the workplace.
Future hearings are expected to hear from unions, representative bodies and government representatives.
