Support for staff with disabilities and impairments

The Staff with Disabilities Policy aims to ensure that the University is an inclusive and accessible environment for staff with disabilities. This includes providing equitable recruitment processes, employment terms and conditions.

For more information about identifying you have a disability, see Identifying disability status.

If you would like to meet with other staff with disabilities and impairments, a network has been formed. Email Shasha Ali, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Experience Lead at staffdiversityequityandinclusion@auckland.ac.nz.

See also Disabled Staff/Staff with DisabilitiesNetwork.

Our Staff with Disabilities and their Managers Guidelines explain the benefits of inclusive practices and how to support staff at all stages of their employment. 

As well as following the guidelines mentioned above, the checklist for employing staff with disabilities provides advice and links to resource material for each step in the employment process.

See also the Related Links on providing reasonable accommodation and campus accessibility and parking.

• For further information, see Academics with disability.

Staff and students who may require assistance to evacuate during an emergency are requested to contact Health Safety and Wellbeing to discuss and develop personal emergency evacuation plans.

Employees who work with staff who have a disability or who know of visitors or students with disabilities should ensure those people are aware of the emergency and offer support if needed.

For example a Deaf person may need to be advised of the fire alarm, a person having a panic attack may need support to exit the building, the building warden may need to be informed of someone requiring an alternative accessible route.

See Help for people with disabilities and/or who need assistance during an evacuation.

To support staff wellness, the University provides eye examinations and subsidised lenses and frames for eligible staff. Read the Eye Tests for Staff Members Standards

Interacting with a blind person may seem daunting at first. But an open mind and following a few basic principles will assist. Read Blind and Low Vision's advice on providing support.

Accessible Documents

All written material such as emails, intranet documents, reports, and lectures can be created in a way that will improve accessibility for people who use adaptive technology such as screen readers and magnifiers.

For further information or support available for people who are blind or have low vision, including appropriate adaptive technology and creating Braille, audio or other accessible resources, read Creating accessible information.

Communication with a Deaf person doesn’t have to be a barrier to their participation and inclusion at work. For helpful information, see Communicating with staff who have hearing loss.

If you want to learn sign language, contact Deaf Aotearoa for online or face-to-face classes.

Deaf Aotearoa can also offer practical guidance and advice in the following areas:

• Ensuring health and safety requirements are met
• Providing Deaf awareness training for staff
• Developing effective communication strategies; tips to assist lip reading, sign language, training, adaptive technology and basic etiquette
• Assisting with interpreters
• Organise job subsidies through Workbridge
• Providing ongoing support for the Deaf employee and their manager as needed - including working through difficult situations such as disciplinary proceedings.

Captioned videos

Staff who show videos at meetings, in presentations and lectures or give links to videos on the internet can assist staff (and students) who have hearing impairments by providing a script or ensuring they are captioned.

Interpreter Line

This is a free service for people who are Deaf which is provided using a webcam or video conference unit with a sign language Interpreter and could be useful in particular one-on-one situations such as recruitment interviews, performance appraisal interviews, staff-student meeting etc. Contact Interpreter Line for more information.
Deaf Aotearoa can provide further information and support for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired, their colleagues and managers.

While neurological variations can sometimes make it challenging to communicate, express ourselves and interact with others, they also enable strengths and capabilities such as being creative and innovative and having exceptional conceptual and analytical skills. 

Neurological differences can include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia and Tourette Syndrome. Read advice for staff and managers about Neurodivergence at work.

Reactions and allergies, from the spring snuffles to the more severe reactions to foods, products and environmental conditions, are becoming increasingly common. People with environmental sensitivities can suffer disabling reactions to substances in our air, water and food in concentrations that are acceptable to the rest of the population. If an employee reports having such reactions or sensitivities, they must be treated seriously and provided with reasonable accommodations. Read Guidance for leaders and employees.

The Rehabilitation Standards and Procedures outlines how the University supports rehabilitation following an injury or illness and ensuring that there are appropriate plans for monitoring the health and rehabilitation of a staff member.

Further guidance on work injury claims and management can be found on the Health, Safety and Wellbeing webpages.

If you are facing difficult circumstances or decisions, personally or at work, EAP can help you work towards finding a personalised solution and peace of mind. All EAP discussions are confidential.

Medical retirement cannot be forced. However, if you have been ill or injured and fitness to work is in question, a proper process of assessment is expected.  The outcomes of which should lead to an honest discussion between you and your manager. Considerations would include:

• A complete medical/psychological/functional assessment
• Appropriate treatment requirements and/or rehabilitation plan
• When it is safe to return
• Impact on job description
• What tasks can be managed and how
• Reasonable adjustments that may be required.

If you have an accident or injury at work you should fill out an incident form and contact your department or division Health and Safety representative. See Work Accident and ACC Claims for more information.

WorkAon manages work injury claims for the University. Their Claims Management and Rehabilitation Manual provides information for managers and employees.

Disability assist dogs that have been certified by one of the organisations in Schedule 5 of the Dog Control Act are allowed on campus if the dog wears a disability assist dog ID tag at all times and is kept on a leash (except when inside University accommodation). Dogs are otherwise not permitted on campus, except with the authorisation of the Registrar.

The employee wanting to bring an disability assist dog to work should first discuss this with their manager, HR manager and the building facilities manager.

Discussions should also occur with staff members who may be working in the same area to address any concerns about allergies, phobias and how best to interact with the animal.

Please see points 6 and 7 under Campus Rules.

Information on a range of other impairments can be found found on Disability Resource Sheets and on the Workbridge website.

Workbridge is a specialist employment service that works with people with all types of disability, injury or illness. 

People with disabilities and their carers can also get information and advice from Firstport and from the Office of Disability Issues.

Common disabilities and impairments are:

• Mobility Impairments; can be caused by a wide range of conditions, and includes not only people who use wheelchairs or mobility scooters, but also those who use walking sticks or other mobility aids, or may simply need to rest more often.
• Diabetes
• Epilepsy
• Mental Health and Addiction issues; including depression and anxiety
• Musculoskeletal Disorders; including Arthritis and Occupational Overuse Injury
• Progressive and fluctuating conditions: Examples include Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Myalgic Encephalopathy (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Disorder (AIDS) and cancer
• Speech Impairments
• Hearing Impairments
• Vision Impairment
• Intellectual Disabilities
• Learning Difficulties and Developmental Disorders