The employment journey for people with Cerebral Palsy

The Employment Handbook resource supports people with cerebral palsy (CP), their families, networks, and employers in understanding inclusive employment. Developed by Cerebral Palsy Australia and CPSN for My CP Guide, it features insights from 20 adults with CP, part of CPSN’s lived-experience group, The Tribe. Contributors shared personal stories, challenges, and practical advice to improve workplace accessibility. With support from the CPSN Futures Fund, the research aims to identify barriers and inform CP-specific employer training. It highlights the right of people with CP to meaningful work and the importance of early support in building confidence and skills for long-term employment success. Below is an excerpt from the handbook. Download the full resource here.

‘It’s a huge confidence boost to be able to say, “I have a job” for myself, my family, and my friends.’ - A 27yo male, GMFCS Level 4

Challenges of employment for people with CP

Finding meaningful employment is an important milestone and right for everyone, not just individuals with Cerebral Palsy. Access to employment enables anyone to have income, social connection, growth, independence and most importantly a sense of purpose and the opportunity to contribute to society in a meaningful way. However, individuals with disability encounter more accessibility barriers and are more likely to experience a higher level of unemployment. This is due to many societal barriers, such as:

Inadequate pathways from school to training and employment
A lack of transition support
Low expectations of their abilities among parents and carers, teachers, trainers
and employers
Discrimination
Insufficient support and services in the workplace.

‘People with cerebral palsy not only need to be able to share their honest experiences around employment— the challenges and disappointments, and what has contributed to any successes they have had—we also need to consider how organisations can pool this knowledge and approach employers and education institutions to advocate for a vastly improved experience for people with cerebral palsy.' - A 32yo female, GMFCS Level 2

Some of the challenges faced in the workplace

Individuals with Cerebral Palsy have the right to work, but are often not given the chance to showcase their skills. That can be for the reasons shown above, or as workplaces themselves are not accessible or willing to have an employee with disability.

‘What people with cerebral palsy can do, and the wide range of transferable skills and ways of thinking that our lived experience gives us, needs to be more strongly showcased.’ - A 32yo female

Individuals with CP are often overlooked in opportunities because of assumptions of tasks we can and cannot perform. This hiring decision is often not made in consultation with us, taking the form of a checkbox on the application asking us if we have a disability. If we choose to disclose our disability, this can often lead us to be rejected from the position.

Requesting disability accommodations

It is not a legal requirement for job seekers to disclose if they have a disability with a potential employer. This information is private and the decision to tell others is up to the individual. If you do choose to disclose, there are a bunch of reasonable disability accommodations that can be asked for and made available to assist you both in the interview stage and when you start employment. These include

Disability accommodations available
Interview questions in advance
Longer deadlines
Virtual interview instead of in person

These supports are different for everyone, depending on how they best manage their CP. Support from an employer once you have commenced a position can include:

Accessible parking
Work-from-home options
Shorter days
Rest breaks
Modified workspaces
Assistive technology
Understanding how to best communicate with you.

‘Be honest with the prospective employer... that’s what I would do if I was going for a job now. I would work with someone around how to word it so that it also shows my strengths.’ - A 52yo female, GMFCS L1

Further support can be gained from The Australian Government Disability Employment Support Service. This service helps people with disability who need support in the workplace to keep a job. Find out more about support at: Government services to help you find and keep a job | Job Access

Browse other chapters of the employment handbook resource: