We'd like to introduce Damien Quinn, a Talent Advisor and guest writer for this blog. In this post he writes about his early realisation that a career in the disability and community care sector could be extremely rewarding.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was a young, shy 17 year old boy about to embark on a journey of personal growth. Through a combined initiative of Sony and my high school, Year 11 students were given the responsibility of being a 24 hour carer to a child with a severe disability to provide some much needed respite for the child’s families and carers.

Reflecting back on that period, it was a life changing experience. Along with the other students, I certainly established a strong connection in a short period of time with the child I was working with. Over 4 days, I was pushed mentally and physically but it was very rewarding.  It certainly made me appreciate the support families need. I would thoroughly recommend the role as a career path.

For those who enjoy working with people, a career in the disability and community care sector is satisfying on both a personal and professional level. The sector offers a fresh start for those looking for a greater challenge or a change of scenery, a return to work after a career break or for those looking for more flexibility in their careers.

The disability and community care sector is the second fastest growing industry over the last 5 years. It is predicted that the proportion of Australians aged over 65 will double in the next 50 years. Additionally, 20% of Australia’s current population live with a disability. These statistics highlight the employment prospects available in the sector and the pressing need to provide appropriate services to meet this demographic.

With disability and community care services based all across Australia, in metropolitan, rural or remote areas, the opportunities are endless.

Sport and recreational activities are a large part of Australian society, whether it is participating in, volunteering to help with, or just watching it live or on television. This is no different within the disability community and inclusion in sport or recreational activities should be encouraged.

The Disability Trust’s Sport & Recreation Services is a unique service, where we offer a number of different sport and recreational opportunities to people with disability. We cater for all abilities and offer programs for people from a grassroots level, through to elite competition. We are about giving sport and recreation a go, no matter who you are.

As a Manager of the service, I am regularly recruiting staff to conduct our weekly programs. During every recruiting period I find that people who apply for our positions are usually extremely skilled in sport-specific skills, with little or no disability support experience. Sometimes they can be  the complete opposite; highly experienced in working with people with a disability but with limited coaching or sporting experience. Nearly all of our staff (including myself) started with our service in either of these ways.

It is very easy to improve in either sport specific or disability specific training relating to our service. I find the best way to achieve this is to be hands-on. Practical experience is an excellent way to learn new skills.

People should not be discouraged if they are interested in working in any area of the disability sector. I personally find that working with people with disability, in a sport or recreational setting, takes initiative, confidence, patience and a willingness to try new things. I’m sure it is similar in other areas of the sector too, such as day programs and respite services.

If I had a dollar for the amount of times I've been told by other people “they won’t be able to that”, about our participants, I would be a rich man. But by giving something a go, the sense of achievement our participants get, and you get, when they have accomplished a task for the first time or made an improvement, is well worth it.

Not only are there physical benefits for the participants involved, but the social and emotional benefits are immeasurable. I encourage everyone to include people with disability in sport and recreational activities, not only through participating or working for a service like ours, but in all services and organisations throughout the disability sector.