Martin is a trainer at our Adelaide hub, who is incredibly passionate about his work within the disability sector.
He works with Jigsaw to contribute to a better future for people with disability, with equal opportunities and economic inclusion.
Martin’s passion comes from a personal experience, and now he works with Jigsaw as his way of ‘giving back’.
His younger sister, Claudia, has Down syndrome and suffered a stroke many years ago, leaving her paralysed on her left side.
“We were told by doctors that she’d never walk and to expect little, yet with loving, caring, professional support from a tribe of angels she recovered mobility and is living an amazingly wonderful, healthy and full life.
“She worked pretty much full time in a variety of jobs until a couple of years ago when she decided to retire. She’s now 54 years old,” said Martin.
Martin has witnessed firsthand the positive impact that inclusion in the workforce has had on his sister, providing her not only with financial independence but also with purpose and friendship.
“Claudia happily went to work each day, knowing she’d see her friends who had fun working together. I visited her at work, and always saw happiness and industry, each person working at their own pace within their physical and intellectual capacity.
“Claudia grew in confidence as she worked in various jobs throughout her life and enjoyed long term friendships,” said Martin.
Martin now embodies Jigsaw’s vision – to see people with disability fully included in the Australian workforce, without external limitations on what they can achieve.
He believes that inclusion in the workforce is a crucial element for the social and emotional wellbeing of people with disability, and that empowerment and support is an invaluable piece of the puzzle.
“Inclusion in the full sense of the word is critical for all humans regardless of talent, capacity and means. We long for recognition, to be seen and acknowledged, even the shy or introverted,” said Martin.
“Earning our own income through work is paramount for healthy self-esteem and, as far as possible, for independence.
“Those with a disability carry the extra burden of fighting stigmas and having to prove ability and capacity to produce reasonable work, therefore it’s critical to provide support via training, encouragement, responsibility and actual jobs,” said Martin.
While organisations like Jigsaw are working hard to remove barriers for people with disability, public perception still remains an obstacle that stands in the way of more organisations improving their workplace inclusivity.
Fifty percent of Australian managers have never hired or worked with a person with disability, but Martin believes Jigsaw’s work has the potential to change this through public perception.
“There are many types of jobs people with disability can do. Each day we prove our trainees can achieve very high quality work with exacting standards, meeting industry level expectations.
“A barrier faced by those with a disability is the public belief that they’re not up to the task and that they can’t maintain focus to complete jobs, whereas in fact many people with disability have deeper focus and longer attention spans than those without.
“Then, it’s a matter of showing the quality work they can produce over a period of time, to evidence completed work for professional, private and government organisations who expect 100% levels of accuracy. These results that we provide at Jigsaw ought to help overcome reluctance from new and prospective employers,” said Martin.
While Martin’s work at Jigsaw is providing people with disability access to opportunities they may not otherwise have been afforded, it’s also providing Martin with his own personal fulfilment.
“I always wanted to ‘give back’, however I could, to repay the generous support my family was blessed with and Jigsaw provides me an avenue to support others, just like my sister Claudia was. It means a lot to me and my family,” said Martin.
His favourite part of the role is watching our trainees blossom into their authentic selves once they’ve adjusted to their new environment.
“I enjoy witnessing the change in so many of our trainees from day one. They can be quiet, timid, anxious, sometimes stressed, and they don’t know if they’ll be able to cope in this new environment full of active, sometimes noisy people.
“Then, with the support and personalised attention of my fellow trainers, we see transformations that well exceed expectations within days. I’m very proud of the work we do, collectively, to help trainees find the diamond inside their stone,” said Martin.