Alice came to WISE four years ago as a timid person suffering from scoliosis and with a mission to find more work. As a shy person who doesn’t really enjoy being in a group and whose disability limits her ability to stand or sit for too long, Alice needed help to find the right role for her.
Through the support at WISE, Alice successfully completed a Certificate III in Retail and Administration and secured a role as an administration assistant at Les’s Carpet Cleaning. With transport arranged by WISE, Alice was able to put her new skills to work. When her employment with Les’s Carpet Cleaning ended after two years, Alice was able to increase her hours at her other job at St Vincent De Paul and is now responsible for supervising Saturdays.
Throughout her journey, Alice also found herself battling depression, which with the help of Megan, her Support Worker, she feels she has been able to overcome. Alice has a new-found confidence and has grown from not wanting to talk to anybody, to being able to supervise a team on a busy Saturday. She explained that it was having someone to talk to that helped her come out of her shell and get to where she is today.
“Before I went to WISE, I couldn’t talk to anyone or be in a group. It was having someone to talk to and that listened to my problems that got me out to try different things,” she said.
“WISE were so helpful and supportive.”
Alice is now responsible for opening and closing the St Vincent De Paul shop on Saturdays, organising the volunteers and supporting people with training and development. She has not only found a job that suits her and that has helped her to grow, but she also now feels like she’s part of a family at work.
Throughout her journey of employment, Alice believes that employer attitudes towards people with a disability have been very positive.
“If you can do the job and know what needs to be completed, employers are happy regardless of whether you have a disability or not,” she said.
Are you looking for work? Register your interest as a WISE Employment job seeker.
If you’re an employer, register your job vacancies online.