The Employment Assistance Fund (EAF) aims to eliminate this barrier by covering the costs involved in modifying the workplace or purchasing any special equipment required for the disabled person to carry out their duties in a safe and equal environment.

The EAF is also available to existing employees if they have had a change in duties, career progression, change in disability and/or a new modification becomes available that would increase their productivity.

Some Deaf and hearing impaired employees may benefit greatly by using communication devices, Deaf friendly workplace and personal alarms, “telephones”, pagers, or any other identified needs, which are free of cost to the employer.

The EAF Guidelines list the eligibility criteria. To download a copy of the Guidelines from the JobAccess website, click here.

Types of modifications and adjustments
There is no restriction to the types of modifications that can be approved under this scheme, as long as each application meets the eligibility criteria.  The EAF Guidelines provide examples of workplace modifications and adjustments. To download a copy of the Guidelines from the JobAccess website, click here.

Modifications previously purchased by the Deaf Society through the Employment Assistance Fund have included:

• Auslan interpreting in the workplace
• Deaf awareness training
• Fire alarms and other Deaf friendly alarms systems
• Personal alarms
• Volume Control phones and Teletypewriters
• Baby cry alarms
• the cost of modifications to the physical work environment
• modifications to work vehicles
• adaptive equipment for the workplace and communication devices

In order to access the Employment Assistance Fund for a client of the Deaf Society Employment Service, please contact your employee’s employment officer on the Deaf Society numbers provided.  The employment officer can assist you with an employment focused assessment of workplace modifications which could improve your Deaf or hearing impaired employee’s adaptation, performance and/or communication in the workplace.

For more information about the Employment Assistance Fund, click here.