Table of Contents
Introduction
“You live as long as the last person who remembers you”
-Westworld
Disability is not a choice. Some people are born with them, some others are unlucky enough to acquire them later in life. In either case, life does not stop; in fact, it only becomes tremendously challenging for these people. They depend on someone else’s care, yet it is a shame that in a lot of events, they are even ostracised by society and are not provided with the support they need. Their disabilities may not be by choice, but helping them through these difficulties and assisting them to reach their full potential is surely a choice that you can make. You will be amazed by the true abilities of a person the society calls “disabled”.
We have all been concerned about the purpose of our lives on earth and if we can leave some part of us so that we will be remembered. At the end of the day, helping another fellow human being is the only solution to these concerns.
What Are Disability Services
Unfortunate events happen every day and somebody ends up losing the capability to survive independently like everyone else. Limbs injury, brain injury, old age, or sometimes a birth condition leaves people physically or mentally challenged. Sadly, most of them do not get humane consideration from others in society. So some organizations take up the job of taking care of them and helping them live their life as independently as possible. These are disability services, who exist autonomously or sometimes affiliated with educational institutions or old age homes. They provide people with disabilities various aids to make their lives easier, and also assist them in developing skills so that they can contribute to the community as well.
Why Should You Start A Career In Disability Services
Disability support work can be one of the most satisfying jobs in the world. It is a career that introduces you to people from all walks of life and hence, provides you with an opportunity for continual learning, as well as allows you to give back to the community and to those in need.
There are a number of reasons why you should apply for a disability care course and start a career in disability services.
Inspiring Career
How many people have you met who wake up in the morning and feel excited to go to work? How many people actually love their jobs? You would if you chose a career in disability services. In this sector, you get the chance to meet people from various backgrounds, and through your job, you make a real connection with them. Moreover, you will have a profound impact on their lives. There is no better feeling than providing someone with services they truly need – even better if your services make them get on with their lives a bit more easily. You have the opportunity to help someone become self-sufficient and to motivate them to live a life without help – there is no job more gratifying than this.
You Can Make A Real Difference
Do you ever wonder how meaningful your job is; if you are doing something that will make any difference? If you quit your job today, will anyone really miss you? A disability services job gives you that chance. There always is at least one person whose life you will change forever, there is always at least one person who will remember you till the day he/she dies. No other job can bring greater meaning to your life, no other job will make you feel more deeply that you have served a purpose on this earth. You will be making a real difference, and you can see the difference happen in front of your eyes.
If you are someone who thrives from social connection and is a natural caregiver; a career in disability services is what you have been looking for.
Flexible Work Hours
From a more practical point of view, disability services jobs give you the liberty to accommodate the job in your own personal life, and not the other way round; unlike most other jobs available. You get to have flexible work hours and a choice of shift when you can be available to work. So whether you newly started a family, recently moved to a new place, want to focus on relationships in your life or your hobbies, or want to take some time to develop skills for another career; working for disability services gives you complete freedom.
Job Security
According to a recent employment report released by the Australian Government, the Healthcare and Social Assistance sector is predicted to grow by 16.1%, that is, 250,500 new jobs will be created by 2022. This is large because of Australia’s ageing population and the implementation of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). Childcare and home care services are also some of the big in-demand jobs right now. This sector is not going to slow down anytime soon, so you will have a secure job for years to come.
The best part about a job in this industry is that your skills are transferable and you can work in any position that you wish to. There are several different paths you can take within the sector; such as a disability support worker, a behavioural support officer in a respite centre, or a senior personal care assistant in a group home. You can swing among them easily.
Varied Job Roles
In a disability care centre, your job role varies every day – sometimes you are a caretaker of a senior citizen, sometimes you have to cook, clean, and take care of the house, sometimes you are a teacher, and some other times you are just a friend engaging people into various activities. If you are a support worker, most of your job will be dependent on the person you are taking care of. You may have to support them for their daily needs, or you may have to assist them in reaching their goals – whether by motivating them, by teaching them or by joining them in the tasks they find interesting. Your life in the centre will certainly never be monotonous.
Personal Development
By working in a disability care centre you will learn more than you could ever do by working in any other office, and that is not just from the specific training you will receive. In a centre like this, every day is different from the next, and you will face new challenges in each of them – it is guaranteed that you will learn something new from each of those challenges. Apart from the tasks mentioned in the earlier point, you might have to create and manage programs to help the people develop their skills, which will help you develop management skills. You will meet a wide variety of people from a broad range of professions, you will learn a lot from their experiences. Above all, you will be pushing yourself to do and be better every day to get the best possible outcome for your clients – there is no other sector which will help you develop your personality more while doing the job.
What Is The Job Description For A Disability Support Worker
If you are planning to take up a disability care course, you should be aware of all the responsibilities of a disability support worker and what you can expect from the job:
- The biggest challenge for people with disabilities is they are constantly dependent on people caring for them, and in most cases are not able to, or are not allowed to make strong decisions about their lives. Your job will be to develop and implement programs to help your clients develop skills and abilities so that they can participate in the community, and through the process gain independence over their decisions and capabilities.
- You will be planning outings and social activities for your clients to keep them engaged and happy in life.
- You may have to take care of various household tasks like planning food menus every day, cooking and serving meals, cleaning, shopping, and other general services.
- Disabilities are not the main challenge of the people in this community – it is a lack of caring and supportive company. It will be your job to be that company for them.
- Many people in this community face trouble contacting their families, friends, and advocates for various reasons. It will be in your job description to assist them with anything that they need in this regard.
- For every person, personal care, health care and hygiene are the most important areas to maintain, and for people with disabilities, sometimes performing simple tasks like these may be quite difficult. It will be your job to be creative with them and teach them how to do these in their own ways so that they can be more independent.
What Makes A Great Disability Support Worker
It is not a simple task to be a disability support worker. So if you have decided to continue with disability care courses, it is very important that you understand what you are getting into and if you are skilled enough to get into the sector.
- You should possess empathy and compassion, should be flexible and adaptive towards new challenges; and most importantly, should be passionate towards helping people with challenging lives.
- You will need to know how to step back and take the person you are caring for performing tasks by themselves – that is how they will be self-sufficient. So you will need a lot of patience.
- Along with the person you will be taking care of, you will have to be consistently in touch with other people in the community, and persuade them to be supportive of him/her as well as give him/her company. Therefore, you will need to be social as well as convincing enough.
- It is also crucial that you leave your presumptuous side outside before entering a facility like this – you can never make any assumptions about the capabilities of a disabled person. They might be able to achieve way more than you can imagine, and you, as the caretaker, will need to be supportive of them at all points.
- More than anything else, you will need to be creative and think outside the box. These people may not perform tasks like any other person you have seen before – most of them have their own processes, and you will have to be patient and understanding enough to perceive them.
Conclusion
There are many institutes which offer disability care courses, so you will have many choices. However, do not let that confuse you. This area requires you to choose the institute that itself is passionate towards a job like this so you can actually learn from the course, is properly certified, and a master in this area. Do your research about the institute’s and their students’ community work and you will get the whole picture easily.