Engaging Volunteers with Disability

Volunteering can play an important role in the lives of people with disability, offering opportunities for social, economic, and cultural inclusion. Volunteering can be particularly beneficial to people with disability in offering self-empowerment and pathways to paid employment.

Volunteering can help people with disability or other needs learn essential skills for the workplace. It can help them build confidence and make social connections while building their resume. It is important to ensure that there is enough support in place for them and the work is something they are comfortable doing.

There may be aprehension when considering enagaging volunteers with disability but often it just requires considering reasonable adjustments.  Reasonable adjustments not just about physical access, it can also be about addressing sensory issues as well. Sensory needs are unique to each individual so it is important to ask each individual about their needs and adjustments that may assist them.  The key to reasonable adjustments however is to not assume and to talk to the individual about their needs.  The adjustments may not be all that significant.

Successfully Engaging Volunteers with Disability - Developed by the Queenslanders with Disability Network in conjunction with Volunteering Queensland, this guide is a practical resource that will help you unlock the potential of a diverse, motivated and resourceful group of people.

e-Learning

Understanding Disability - Written by People with Disability Australia (PWDA) and adapted for The Centre for Volunteering, this e-Learning package contains three interactive modules and supporting resources exploring what is disability and the types of disability, how to facilitate access and break down barriers and what pschosocial disability is.

Becoming and Inclusive Volunteer Involving Organisation - Developed as a part of the Inclusive Volunteering Pathways to Employment Program, this eLearning package provides a greater understanding around what it means to be an inclusive volunteer involving organisation, how to incorporate reasonable adjustments and how to build an inclusive culture.

Attracting and Engaging Autistic Volunteers 

Participation in volunteering is an excellent way for autistic people to contribute to the social and economic life of their community, to build their confidence and self-belief, and to thrive in life. Autistic people, through their diversity, can bring valuable and unique skills and experience to the volunteering sector. However, to make this experience positive, we need to firstly understand the barriers to volunteering that currently exist for autistic people and then work together to overcome these barriers. The benefits of a truly diverse volunteer organisation, that includes autistic volunteers, are immense for both the volunteer and the volunteer organisation.

The following guides have been developed by Empower Autism in conjunction with Volunteering Queensland.  They provide practical tools, tips and information aimed at building the capacity of volunteer organisations to attract, engage, support and retain autistic volunteers. The guide takes you through three steps, each aiming to provide you with simple and practical tools to increase your organisations accessibility and engagement with the autistic community.  

A Shared Understanding - It's important to understand that autism is different for every person and their experience and support requirements are just as unique as they are. Developing a working understanding of neurodiversity will help create a more diverse and understanding work environment in your organisation that will benefit everyone.

Attracting and Engaging - By adjusting the language used within your organisation, including in volunteer position listings and descriptions, this will give a greater understanding for all potential volunteers looking to engage with your organisation. 

Onboarding, Supporting, and Retaining - There are several autism affirming strategies that can be taken on to help ensure smooth onboarding and support of potential volunteers. It is important to remember different volunteers will have different support needs and being able to guide the support in your organisation can make a world of difference to volunteers.

Video

The following video, developed by Sector Connect, is a guide for volunteering organisations to implement inclusive practices and provide greater opportunity for volunteer engagement and participation for people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder. 

Attracting and Engaging Volunteers with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is the most common childhood physical disability in Australia. Affecting the way the brain controls muscles, causing speech, movement and posture difficulties. Having cerebral palsy can be like being in a body you can't fully control. Often cerebral palsy can be accompanied by other challenges such as limited vision, epilepsy, cognition and learning difficulties, and other medical conditions.

Participation in volunteering is an excellent way for people with cerebral palsy to contribute to the social and economic life of their community, to build their confidence and self-belief, and to thrive in life. Through their diversity, they can bring valuable and unique skills and experience to the volunteering sector. However, to make this experience positive, we need to firstly understand the barriers to volunteering that currently exist for people with cerebral palsy and then work together to overcome these barriers. The benefits of a truly diverse volunteer organisation, that includes volunteers, are immense for both the volunteer and the volunteer organisation.

Video

The following video, developed by Sector Connect, provides an understanding of what Cerebral Palsy is and how adjustments can be made to support volunteers with Cerebral Palsy.

Engaging Volunteers with Disability Checklists

The following checklists have been developed by Sector Connect and are a useful tool to assist in making reasonable adjustments when engaging volunteer with disability.

The video below provides an overview on how to use the checklists and to get the most out of them.

Access and Inclusion Checklist

Access and Inclusion Checklist - Cerebral Palsy

Access and Inclusion Checklist - Autism Spectrum Disorder

Additional Reading - This reading list provides further information referenced through the videos available within this page. 

Disability Inclusive Volunteer Management Guide

Voluntering SA&NT (VSA&NT) is proud to partner with JFA Purple Orange in developing the Disability Inclusive Volunteer Management Guide.

This guide will be a valuable resource for leaders of volunteers to reflect on and grow their 

organisational inclusive volunteer practices. 

Engaging Volunteers with Disability Resources

These downloadable resources have been developed under the National Volunteer Management Activity project.