Disability Sports Australia and SportsGrad Helping People with Disabilities Get Jobs in Sport
[Image ID - a cover graphic for the article. Featured with a navy blue background are the logos of SportsGrad and Disability Sports Australia. ‘Community Partnership’ is below the logos in white text.}
Disability Sports Australia (DSA) and SportsGrad are teaming up in an exciting community partnership that will support people with disabilities to get more jobs in sport.
In Australia, there is an existing employment gap for people with disabilities compared to those without a disability. Recent stats by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2019 found that working-aged people (15-64 years old) with disabilities have a lower employment rate (48% or 984,000) than those without a disability (80% or 11.3 million). Similar results are seen within the sports sector. DSA and SportsGrad are attempting to tackle this.
DSA is a leading national sporting organisation for people with disabilities dedicated to promoting active lives for all Australians with disabilities. SportsGrad is a fast-growing community organisation that is helping people globally find a career in sport. The two are complementing each other’s strengths combining DSA’s disability and accessibility advocacy with SportsGrad’s career upskilling and industry employment pathway.
Ayden Shaw General Manager of DSA said, “At DSA, we believe that employment should reflect the communities we work in. We want to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for people with disabilities in sport.”
“Often people with disabilities do aspire to work in the sector but they may lack access and opportunities to pursue them. Whether a person wants to play, coach, volunteer, or administer sport programs, often the hardest place is knowing where to go. That’s why we have partnered with SportsGrad, a leading platform for sport careers, to build a community and create more employment pathways for people with disabilities in sport.”
The partnership started successfully with the recruitment of SportsGrad member, Lizzie Rupcic as DSA’s Media and Events Intern in August.
Lizzie is studying a digital media degree at University of South Australia. They were previously pursuing a career in archaeology and ancient history. Their transferrable skills of this degree and lifelong love for sports led them to SportsGrad.
“My main problems were lack of connections and having no idea where to get started,” Lizzie shared. “When I began following SportsGrad, even prior to actually joining, I began to see potential paths to help with both of those issues.”
Lizzie tapped into SportsGrad’s resources and community network to start applying for roles. A month into joining the SportsGrad Community, Lizzie landed a role at DSA.
“I'm now a Media and Events Intern with Disability Sports Australia, which is kind of a dream given my passion for inclusion and accessibility as a disabled person myself,” Lizzie said.
Lizzie is involved in all parts of DSA’s storytelling. You will see Lizzie’s contributions across DSA’s social media channels, notably leading their monthly Good News series. Expect to see more of their work presented across DSA’s other programs and surrounding the 2023 Toyota Wheelchair AFL National Championships this November.
For any aspiring sports professionals with disabilities hoping to get a job in the sports industry, Lizzie expressed, “Join sooner rather than later! You never know what opportunities are passing by in the community that you could be missing out on.”
“Put your hat in the ring, even if you don't think you'll land the role. While I was very enthusiastic about this role, I honestly didn't have a lot of confidence in my potential to get it when I applied. But now I'm about to wrap up my first month with DSA and couldn't be happier! You never know where an application or a connection request could lead.”
To sign up for SportsGrad’s next member intake, please visit:
www.sportsgrad.com.au/community
Media Contact:
Max Reilly
Communications and Participation Officer
Disability Sports Australia
max@sports.org.au
www.sports.org.au
Disability Sports Australia (DSA):
Disability Sports Australia is one of Australia’s nine National Sporting Organisations for people with disabilities (NSODs), all of whom share a common purpose to improve the lives of Australians living with disabilities using sport as the medium.
Our Vision: Active lives for all Australians with disabilities.
Our Mission: To enable more Australians with disabilities to be more active more often.
DSA aim to connect Australians with disabilities to local adaptive activity opportunities through the delivery of trusted programs like Abilities Unleashed, Sports Incubator, and Accessibility Champion Course.
SportsGrad:
SportsGrad is an online community designed to assist individuals in launching and advancing their careers in the sports industry. It offers valuable resources, educational content, and networking opportunities to empower aspiring sports professionals to achieve their career goals.
