Work and DES (Easy Read)

Disability Employment Services are funded by the Australian Government.

They provide employment services.

We call them DES providers for short.

DES help people with disability find and keep a job.

They can also help people who have an injury or health condition.

DES can help you to:

• learn what you are interested in
• get ready to look for a job – they can help you put together your resume.

A resume is useful information about you that will help you get a job.

DES can also help you:

• find a job – they can contact employers for you
• keep a job – they can help your employer understand what help you need at work to do your job well.

Centrelink can give you information about a DES near you.

You might need to think about:

• Do you know a DES who has helped someone you know?
• Are they good at working with people with intellectual disability?
• Do they listen to you?
• Do they want to find the right job for you?
• Which DES has more stars?

The stars tell you how good the DES is.

3 times a year, the Government gives each DES a Star Rating.

More stars are good.

More stars mean they help lots of people get a job.

You can look at different DES near you and compare them.

Sometimes a DES might have no stars because they are new.

Choose a DES that is good at getting jobs for people with intellectual disability.

It does not matter if they are not the closest to where you live.

Good DES providers work hard to find you the right job.

They do things like:

• get lots of information about what work or work skills you might have. They might talk to your school or other services you use

• meet with you and your parents (or advocate)

• do work trials based on your interests. This helps them learn about what support you need

• talk to employers for you

• write a list of possible employers you can travel to easily

• check the worksite to make sure it is good for you

• support you one-to-one from your first day of work and onwards.

If you do not like your DES provider or person you are working with, you can ask for a new person.

You can even find a new provider.

To change your DES provider, call the National (DES) Customer Service Line on

1800 805 260