I recently wrote an article for the October newsletter about the difficulties of getting a job as a mature age worker. Writing this article for the ADDE Newsletter was a great experience for me as it gave me the opportunity to express my frustrations and air my grievances. It was a great outlet for me and I hope it provided a connection for others who may have experienced the same feelings. I also hope it exposed to the readers the true nature of what people go through when job seeking; hopefully catching the interest of those in the employment field as well.

Up until the age of 50 I thought I was very employable as I have had very broad work/life experience. I have worked in a diverse range of jobs including pharmacy assistant, retail sales, factory work – spot welding, spray painting and icecream packaging, primary school teacher, lifesaving and pool attendant, waitressing, ski lodge manager and ski resort work, housemaid, nanny, spare parts delivery, small business owner (retail, travel and tour host, mobile coffee and catering), single mother to 2 teenage children, logo’d merchandise manager, sales rep…. but I have found that diversity in the workforce is more of an idea than a reality. In addition to experiencing barriers to my age I also believe I have been excluded from at least one position, which I was short-listed for, due to my hearing disability. I hope that a forum such as the ADDE newsletter will help to redress the balance of diversity and disability in the Australian workforce.