Narrative 17: Supported or stuck? Disability employment policy for young people

While this generation of disabled people can be seen as the most fortunate in terms of our quality of life, such as access to healthcare, certain financial assistance, and more bodily autonomy, we are still treated as lesser citizens in our employment, our education, our housing. Disabled people are more likely to be homeless, more likely to face substance abuse, more likely to face unemployment and domestic violence and discrimination in medical treatment. We have policies and legislations in place in Australia that say you can’t discriminate against someone based on their disability status. What is $2 an hour if not discrimination? I would love to see policies changed where it is illegal to pay someone a lower wage based on their disability, and for all work to be viewed as valuable - because it is.