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About
Why use our Employment Services?
Guide Dogs Victoria believes in a holistic approach to providing support, ensuring individuals with low vision or blindness can build the skills they need to thrive in all aspects of their life. We recognise that many in the blind and low vision community find it difficult to secure or retain employment, impacting all aspects of their life from financial stability to a resilient sense of self-worth and daily purpose.
Supported by 2024 Impact Philanthropy, our Employment Service connects with people of all ages, including secondary school students and older workers, as they consider career pathways, participate in work experience and voluntary work, prepare a job application, attend an interview, disclose their vision loss, and identify assistive technology needs. Additionally, GDV understands that even the best preparation is only relevant if real employment opportunities exist. It is our goal to collaborate with our partners to create these roles.
Who can benefit from this service?
Anyone – whatever your life stage or career path.
Whether you’re a student or a seasoned employee living with low vision or blindness, anyone can benefit from personalised employment support. GDV can provide:
- Support preparing resumes and cover letters.
- Interview preparation, including how to disclose your vision loss.
- Connection with other GDV services to support workplace readiness, including Orientation and Mobility, to build the travel skills necessary to get safely to and from the workplace
- Support to explore employment possibilities and encourage employers to consider the benefits of employing a worker with low vision or blindness, including appropriate adjustments to the workplace.
For more information or to get involved, please contact us on 1800 804 805 or request a service online.
What does the service include?
We can tailor your support to your goals and workplace.
The beauty of having so many services under one roof means we can tailor your support to your goals and workplace, ensuring you have everything you need to get the job done.
- Personal preparation, including travelling to your job or changing jobs, achieving required skill levels in relevant assistive technology to use at work, dressing accordingly for the role and general personal presentation, and getting appropriately ready for a day of work through Occupational Therapy, Orientation and Mobility, and Assistive Technology.
- Support for university students seeking external internships or considering career pathways and transferrable skills as vision loss progresses.
- Mentoring and guidance in connecting with a mentor whether through GDV or externally.
- Wellbeing and psychology services to promote and support a resilient sense of self while navigating the challenge of finding employment.
- Volunteer opportunities at GDV, creating strong links and networks, with the aim of transitioning to employment.
- Explore real-world job opportunities and how organisations focusing on inclusivity can support you.
For more information or to get involved, please contact us on 1800 804 805 or request a service online.
Work experience
For secondary school students.
- Supporting Year 10 and Year 11 students.
- Get amongst different departments at GDV and explore career paths and options from working with animals, to admin, fundraising and more.
- We can coordinate work experience timetables to suit your school’s work experience dates.
To express your interest in a work experience program, please contact us on 1800 804 805 or request a service online.
About your funding options
You may be able to access funding to help cover the cost of support and training programs. Learn more about the NDIS, your eligibility for financial assistance under the NDIS, and get the answers to frequently asked questions.
Be reassured, we will always provide support regardless of your financial situation.
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