Education to employment

Career information for students with a disability, ongoing illness or mental health condition

It is important to carefully prepare for the transition from university to employment. There are many resources available to you and we hope this page will help to get you started. The information below is disability-specific and we also encourage you to take advantage of the resources through Western Sydney University Careers.

Searching for a job

You will need to consider the impact of your disability during a number of steps in the job search process. If you have a visible disability you will need to prepare yourself to talk about it during an interview including how you can do the job and to advocate for reasonable adjustments.

If you have an invisible disability or do not need workplace adjustments, you will also need to decide whether to disclose – during the recruitment process, when you start work or not at all.

Applying for a job

When you apply for a job you must be able to show that you meet the selection criteria and that you can meet the inherent requirements of the job. It is also important to be able to talk to potential employers about your unique strengths and the skills you have gained managing your workload and life with a disability.

Top Tips

Identify your strengths

Draw on what you have learnt from university about managing your academic studies and your disability simultaneously. Skills like time management, setting priorities, communication (self advocacy), team work and more!

Utilise our University Career Service

Job applications can be challenging. Get advice and access workshops about job searching, resumes, applications, and interviews. Visit the Careers webpage for more information.

Know your rights and responsibilities

Education to Employment (opens in a new window) is a Western Sydney University website for graduates with disabilities, there is a downloadable toolkit for use and the below resources can help you to make the best transition into employment:

• A 10 step plan negotiating workplace adjustments [PDF, 361.73 KB] (opens in a new window)

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Further resources

• PACE Mentoring through Australian Network on Disability (opens in a new window) gives students an exciting opportunity to receive mentoring from managers and employees of member organisations who will share their experiences and knowledge with students with disability as they prepare to set out into the workforce.
• Choosing Your Path. Disclosure: It's A Personal Decision (opens in a new window)  provides information about your choices for disclosing your disability in employment environments.
• Australian Human Rights Commission (opens in a new window) - resources on equal employment opportunity and disability.
• Australian Network on Disability, 'Stepping into' (opens in a new window) provides paid internships for university students with a disability in their final year of study.
• JobAccess (opens in a new window) is an Australian Government initiative which provides free services for disability employment related matters. This includes Disability Employment Services, the Employment Assistance Fund (to help cover the cost of workplace modifications), assistive technology and more.
• The National Disability Coordination Officer Program (opens in a new window) is an Australian Government funded program with 31 regionally based NDCOs who work strategically to assist people with a disability to access and participate in tertiary education and subsequent employment.

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