About AND
The Australian Network on Disability (AND) is a not for profit organisation taking a leadership role in advancing the equitable inclusion of people with disability in all aspects of business. Our highly skilled disability consultants assist our members to understand the business benefits of employing people with disability, and welcoming customers with disability.
AND is resourced by our member organisations and we do not receive any government funding. We are not an employment agency and do not find jobs for people with disability - we work on the business-side to improve internal systems and procedures to ensure they are inclusive of people with a wide range of disabilities.
Approximately 20% of the Australian population has a disability - that's one in every five people, or around four million people in Australia. Ensuring your organisation is disability confident isn't just the "right thing to do" - it also makes very good business sense.
Through the delivery of unique products and services, we assist organisations to build skills and confidence in relation to people with disability as employees, customers and other stakeholders. We work closely with our member organisations to assist them to build their individual business case for proactively including people with disability.
Our members work together with our disability consultants so that they can confidently recruit from the entire talent pool, minimising the effects of the skills shortages both now and in the future.
We also assist our members to recognise and remove any barriers that may exist in their recruitment processes, which can unintentionally block talented and skilled people with disability from applying.
In today’s business landscape it is very important for Australian organisations to reflect the diversity of the community in which they operate.
Organisations typically become members so they can confidently:
- Recruit from the entire talent pool
- Minimise the effects of the labour market shortages, now and in the future
- Recognise and remove any unintended barriers to the recruitment of talented and skilled people with disability.
Our members also want to:
- Ensure their staff reflect the community in which they operate
- Reap the benefits of the business case for employing people with disability
- Link their Corporate Social Responsibility programs to their human resource practices.
Our members understand the importance of diversity, as well as supporting the wellbeing of current employees. They understand the value of Corporate Social Responsibility and they are active within their communities. They are all top Australian companies, with strong corporate identities and a commitment to being the best in their fields. They come from a wide range of industries, but share one thing in common – an understanding of the multitude of benefits employing people with disability can bring to their organisations.