Working Together: Technology as the Foundation for Better Employment Outcomes for People with Disability
Alastair McEwin · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A) · doi:10.1145/3058555.3058556
Summary
Written by Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, this keynote paper draws on the findings of the 2016 "Willing to Work" national inquiry into employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with disability. McEwin argues that inaccessible information and communications technologies are a major form of employment discrimination, creating barriers at every stage of the employment lifecycle. The paper traces how digital barriers compound throughout the hiring process: job advertisements posted on inaccessible websites prevent people from even applying; job descriptions provided in inaccessible formats exclude candidates; online testing systems incompatible with screen readers block qualified applicants; inaccessible company websites prevent interview preparation; and once hired, inaccessible intranets, HR software, electronic filing systems, photocopiers, and telephone systems prevent full workplace participation. A particularly striking example describes how a person with disability promoted to a supervisory role cannot perform their duties because the HR software is incompatible with their screen reader — creating a concrete barrier to career advancement, not just initial employment.
Key findings
The paper makes several key arguments grounded in the Willing to Work inquiry findings. First, inaccessible technology is not a market issue but a human rights issue, as Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires governments to ensure information and communications technology is developed in accessible formats. Second, the cost argument against workplace accessibility is largely unfounded — the majority of adjustments can be eliminated entirely by building accessibility in from the beginning rather than retrofitting. Third, technology can be a "great equaliser" when properly implemented: examples include Enabled Employment (a startup using remote work and cloud technology for flexible, outcomes-based employment) and the use of iPads and apps to replace costly dedicated AAC devices, integrating multiple assistive functions into a single mainstream device. The paper emphasizes that digital inclusion is "as much symbolic as it is practical" — accessible technology signals a society that anticipates and expects disabled people to participate fully.
Relevance
This paper carries particular authority as it comes from Australia's chief disability discrimination official, grounding the accessibility discussion firmly in human rights law and national policy findings rather than purely technical considerations. For organizations, the central message is powerful: inaccessible workplace technology is a form of discrimination that has measurable economic and social consequences. The end-to-end employment lifecycle analysis — from job ads through to promotion — provides a comprehensive framework for auditing workplace digital accessibility that goes well beyond public-facing websites. The paper's emphasis on building accessibility in from the outset rather than retrofitting aligns with modern accessibility maturity models and is more cost-effective. While brief (2 pages) and lacking original research data, the paper effectively bridges the gap between human rights policy, employment law, and web accessibility practice, making it valuable for advocacy and organizational change efforts. The examples of technology enabling new employment models (remote work, app-based AT) foreshadow trends that have since accelerated dramatically.
Tags: disability employment · disability rights · workplace accessibility · digital inclusion · disability discrimination · policy · Australia · human rights · screen readers · remote work · assistive technology · organizational accessibility · AAC · reasonable accommodation
Standards referenced: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities