Volunteering & Employment

For people with disability, gaining work experience through volunteering is a very important component in developing the necessary skills and experience to create sustainable, and paid, job opportunities into the future.

How to Adapt Volunteer Roles

With more flexible volunteer roles you not only expand your potential for recruitment, you can create an opportunity for a new volunteer, create more resilient communities and potentially change someone’s life.

Volunteering & Mental Health

Volunteering can have a positive impact on mental health generally and may improve health outcomes for people experiencing a mental health challenges. Regular social interaction and contributing to the community produces positive health outcomes including reducing depression and loneliness.

School Leavers & Volunteering

Volunteering holds many benefits for young people leaving school, including the opportunity to make new friends and social connections, build confidence, and develop valuable professional and workplace skills.

Using Mentors Buddies or Other Support

If your organisation is considering providing volunteer opportunities for people with disability, implementing a mentor or buddy system is a great way to ensure these volunteers make the transition into your workplace, culture and role in the smoothest way possible.

Is Your Organisation Accessible?

Accessibility no longer simply means having a wheelchair ramp to your door – contemporary forms of disability inclusion and accessibility are more encompassing.

Example Inclusion Statement

The following provides an example statement of inclusion for your organisation to adapt to your own context and endorse. It is something that can be reflected in your organisation’s policies and documents, or feature on your website.

Effective Communication

In the case of people with disabilities, there are a number of key communication considerations and actions that organisations need to be aware of.

Disability Action Plan

A Disability Action Plan is one of the most effective ways of starting to change an organization.

Money, Volunteers & Disability

Though payment to volunteers is not required or expected, organisations often cover out-of-pocket expenses and some organisations may reward their volunteers in the form of reimbursements, allowances, honorariums or small gifts.

Age-friendly Volunteering

To enable an effective and thriving volunteering sector in Victoria, organisations should work towards being aged-friendly and make the best use of the strengths senior Victorians contribute to the volunteer workforce.

Leading the Way - A Quick Guide for Leaders

A guide for making change in your organisation for volunteers with disability.

Volunteering Disability and Discrimination

Different laws apply differently depending on the type of organisation and its relationships with its volunteers. Unfortunately people with disability face barriers and discrimination, even in the context of volunteering.