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Ability Works Newsletter

Ability Works Newsletter

News, Newsletter | 6th March 2025

Ability Works Newsletter – 4 March 2025

In this issue:

Inclusive Design Team – project highlights

A note from the CEO

Dear Ability Works Community

Welcome to the March edition of our newsletter! As we step into a new season, I am excited to reflect on the achievements and growth within our organisation.

This quarter, our commitment to inclusion, sustainability, and innovation continues to shine. Our new initiative to recycle pallet wraps marks another step toward reducing our environmental impact. Likewise, our Inclusive Design team has been instrumental in improving accessibility, both internally and in partnerships like the Arts Centre Redevelopment project and our collaboration with Penny. These projects exemplify our dedication to making workplaces, transport, and digital tools more inclusive for all.

A special shout-out to our employees who have gone above and beyond in their roles. Your dedication, patience, and teamwork make Ability Works a great place to be. We also celebrate the contributions of our Employee Representative Committee and their ongoing advocacy for workplace improvements.

Looking ahead, we are thrilled about new job opportunities and the continued expansion of our Customised Employment team, ensuring more individuals can find meaningful roles suited to their strengths.

Finally, as we approach Global Accessibility Awareness Day in May, I encourage everyone to reflect on the importance of inclusion in all aspects of life. Let’s continue striving for a future where everyone has equal access to opportunities.

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to our shared vision.

2024 Award Winners

We want to give a special mention to those that received awards at our 2024 Employee End of Year Celebration. It was great to see so many with supportive friends and family, however a lot of these guests were present in our images, and we do not have consent to share them all. If you would like to see the images from the awards presentation, please ask a staff member.

Congratulations to:

  • Ruby for receiving Employee of the Year.
  • Matthew for receiving Employee of the Year.
  • Carolyn for receiving Safe Worker of the Year.

Ability Works would like to thank:

  • Alida for 25 years of service.
  • Andrew for 20 years of service.
  • Ben for 20 years of service.
  • Byron for 10 years of service.
  • David for 25 years of service.
  • Despina for 20 years of service.
  • Doug for 20 years of service.
  • Garry for 25 years of service.
  • Greg for 40 years of service.
  • Helen for 20 years of service.
  • John for 15 years of service.
  • Keith for 15 years of service.
  • Nevrus for 25 years of service.
  • Nick for 10 years of service.
  • Paul for 10 years of service.
  • Richard for 40 years of service.
  • Wendy for 10 years of service.

Around the building

New capabilities

We’re excited to announce that we can now recycle pallet wrap at Ability Works. This eco-friendly initiative not only helps reduce plastic waste but also supports our commitment to sustainability. By recycling pallet wrap, we’re keeping it out of landfills and giving it a new life, which is pretty cool. Let’s do our part to protect the planet and make our workplace greener.

New jobs

Gripps

Reworking their “Tethering Station” to include an extra label.

Healtheries

Much like our regular “chip job”, reworking Healtheries’ rice wheels, we’ve taken on a new job reworking their cheese flavoured Tasty Tubes.

Employee shout-outs

Gary (Manufacturing)

Congratulations Gary, for being recognised for your dedication to exceptional coil holder welding.

Neil – Mailroom

Congratulations Neil, for being recognised for really stepping up in your role and always being helpful.

Doug – Packing and assembly (No online/social)

Congratulations Doug, for being recognised for always being patient and on time.

Global Accessibility Awareness Day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of May and promotes digital access and inclusion for people with disability. In 2025, GAAD will be observed on Thursday 15 May, with various events and activities to raise awareness and encourage participation.

Accessibility is crucial for fostering an inclusive society, ensuring legal compliance, enhancing user experience, and reaching a diverse audience.

At Ability Works Australia, we are on a journey to improve our processes and services to be more accessible and meet compliance standards. Most importantly, we want to improve accessibility as it reflects social responsibility, drives technological advancement, and creates economic opportunities. By prioritising accessibility, we can create a world where everyone can participate equally and lead fulfilling lives.

Intranet and Resource Hub

Improving accessibility and findability of resources

The Inclusive Design Team have been working hard to make our digital assets more accessible and easier to find. Their goal is to follow the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AAA.

They’ve been focusing on creating an easier way for staff and employees to find important content, like policies and procedures, by adding relevant links to the Intranet. This includes strategy documents, the organisation chart, and consent forms.

The team is also updating material for the Support SharePoint site and OH&S documents, and creating templates for letters, reports, and presentations. Quick links to commonly used folders are being added to the Intranet and Resources Hub, which is being trialed with staff.

These efforts are helping ensure our digital content is accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Employee input

We occasionally get requests to include items from the employees, this quarter we’ve been sent a riddle from Richard and an image from Jared. If you have something you’d like to share, let the support team know! Please keep it short and appropriate for the workplace.

Richard’s riddle

Who/what am I?

  • I can be large or small.
  • I can be hot or cold.
  • I can be heard.
  • I can be seen.
  • I have different sizes.
  • Many people use me:
  • I am used in gardens.
  • I am used in the house.
  • I am used by musicians.
  • I am used by sports people.
  • I am used by people when they want to enter somewhere.
  • I am used by people when they want attention.

Who/what am I?

(answer in the next issue)

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