Disability Support Workers

Working with people with disabilities is a specialized job. Each disabled person may need a different level of support, depending on the difficulties they face in leading their day to day lives. They could also have different goals they want to achieve.

Disability support workers work with people with disability-related support needs. A person’s disability may affect their physical, cognitive or social abilities. For a disability support worker, it’s important to get an understanding of each individual’s disability in order to help them achieve their goals, develop their capabilities and build independence, and fully participate in the community.

Duties of a Disability Support Worker

Disability support workers assist the person’s with daily activities, and help to build their skills, abilities and confidence. The support they provide may include, but not limited to, the following:

• Domestic assistance, such as house cleaning, shopping, laundry, bill paying or performing errands
• Personal care, such as help with dressing, eating, showering, toileting, or moving around the house
• Assisting with transport to attend appointments
• Helping the person develop skills – for example, making a budget, taking public transport, using assistive technology, or preparing meals
• Assisting the person to participate in social outings, recreational activities and community events
• providing companionship, conversation and emotional support