5.8.1: Employment assistance available to people with disability
Supported employment services are provided by the Department of Social Services (DSS)
through ADEs. ADEs are businesses that are commercial in nature and employ people with
disability. Activities undertaken by ADEs include horticulture, manufacturing, food services,
cleaning and retail (FaHCSIA 2008). According to the Disability Services National Minimum
Dataset (DS NMDS collection) 21,000 people received supported employment assistance in
2013–14 (AIHW 2015).
Open employment services are provided by DSS through the Disability Employment Services
program. These services help people with disability find and maintain employment in the
open labour market (DSS 2014b). In 2013–14, 112,000 people with disability received open
employment support from this program (AIHW 2015).