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Explore disability careers

Information on different disability support work roles and settings.

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Disability support work is about supporting people with disability to achieve their goals and live the life they want.

Each person with disability has different goals and needs that can change over time. The range of roles for a support worker is just as diverse. You might support a person with disability to get dressed and prepare their meals one day and organise a trip to the footy the next day. Or you might be an allied health professional providing therapeutic care and support.

In the disability sector there are many roles and options for employment to suit you.

It’s about matching your unique skills, capabilities and experience with the goals and needs of a person with disability.

Looking for work?

Right now, there are a range of jobs for people wanting to work with people with disability.

National Disability Services (NDS) CareCareers

You can also visit the NDS CareCareers web page for more information and to view available jobs.

Visit NDS CareCareers

The range of jobs available in the disability sector can also be found on career websites such as CareerOne, Ethical Jobs, Indeed and Seek.

Common search terms include: disability jobs, disability support, disability worker, disability support worker allied health professional and NDIS.

Job opportunities are also posted by employers on their websites.

Jobs Victoria

Jobs Victoria services are for people who may face challenges when looking for work, such as:

Find out more about Jobs Victoria.

Examples of disability roles

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Disability support workers support people with disability to live the life they want. Disability support worker roles are the most common roles in the sector and are very diverse.

The day-to-day tasks of the role will vary greatly depending on the individual needs and goals of the person you support. Daily tasks may include, but are not limited to:

Allied health professionals provide clinical and therapy services to support people with disability and complex needs to achieve their goals and maintain their health and wellbeing.

To work as an allied health professional, you need a relevant university-level qualification and you may need to meet additional requirements depending on your professional association. Allied health professions include:

If you’re an allied health professional interested in developing your skills and knowledge to support or provide services to people with disability and complex support needs, visit My allied health space for more information and resources.

Allied health assistants (AHA) support and assist the work of allied health professionals.

AHAs are trained to work within certain limits to undertake a range of less complex tasks, delegated to them by allied health professionals. Depending on qualification and skill level, tasks may include:

AHAs may work with several different allied health professionals or they may work with one particular profession.

Visit Victorian Skills Gateway to see what qualification you need to work as an AHA.

If you’re an AHA interested in working in disability, visit Health.Vic allied health assistant workforce for more information.

A support coordinator supports people with disability to understand and implement funded supports in their NDIS plan.

They also provide links to community, mainstream and other government services. Support coordinators focus on supporting people with disability to build their skills and direct their own lives as well as connect to appropriate service providers.

The role of a support coordinator can be varied, given the unique needs of the people they are supporting. Some skills that this role requires include:

Find more information on the NDIS Support coordination website.

Local Area Coordinator

The role of a Local Area Coordinator (LAC) is to assist people to navigate the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

LACs assist people with disability who are eligible for the NDIS to:

LACs also support people who aren’t eligible for the NDIS to link in with mainstream and community supports in their local areas.

To find out which organisations provide local area coordination in Victoria visit Who can access the NDIS.

Planner

National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) planners work with NDIS participants, their family and other relevant people. Planners help determine what supports and services will assist participants to achieve their goals and also assist in the development of NDIS plans, as well as identify funding required.

NDIA planners work directly for the NDIA. Visit Careers at NDIA for more information.

These roles generally don’t work directly with people with disability, but rather provide helpful indirect support to staff.

Tasks might include managing rosters, budgets, training and guiding organisation and service improvement.

Roles might include:

Depending on the particular role you may require certain skills or extra qualifications.

Case studies

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“As a team leader I enjoy empowering my staff and I treat them as equals. If there’s a challenging situation, we discuss it; I encourage them to make suggestions and then look at the best solution."

From a casual worker with no disability qualifications to a qualified team leader, Van is still excited about working in disability support after 20 years.

Van recently became team leader at the Scope Northern District Lifestyle Options day centre. After 20 years working in disability support, he’s still excited about his role.

Van started off as a casual worker supporting clients in a residential setting before moving to a day activity setting where he supports people with disability to participate in a range of programs.

“I had no background or qualifications in disability at all – and no computer skills. But after a few months I was offered a permanent position by a house coordinator who liked the way I worked.

“During that time, I was promoted to manual handling officer, which involved planning and helping staff observe correct procedures. I enjoyed helping people stay safe and develop confidence and skills to cope with different challenges,” Van says.

Now, with a Certificate IV in Disability and many years of experience, he feels ready to teach others and share his wealth of knowledge.

Read more about Van’s career in disability - Work that matters.

“Career progression is everywhere. You could become a team leader, coordinator, manager or you might go into a different house, with new challenges. That’s why I love this space, it’s never dull.”

Rebecca (Bec) manages a residential group home for people with disability who have complex needs. She loves making a difference and supporting people to lead a more independent life.

The opportunity to make a difference in a person’s life inspired Bec’s career in the disability sector.

“I love to create change and advocate for those people who aren’t being heard. I want to make a difference and support those who need it.”

As part of Bec’s role, she manages a residential group home in Melbourne, which supports people with disability who have moved out of home to carry out daily tasks.

“Although my role involves various administrative tasks, such as rostering, finance, training, reports and mentoring staff, the most important aspect is to support and empower the residents to lead an independent and fulfilled life,” Bec says.

For those considering a career in the disability sector, Bec considers the ability to relate to and engage with other people as essential.

“People will often say you have to be a really caring, unique and a strong individual to do this work. I think it’s about having the right attitude and the right values. Disability support can be challenging work, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.”

Read more about Bec’s career in disability - work that matters.

“Someone wanting to build a long-term career in disability support has a lot of options. They could work supporting people in a residential setting, or support people to participate in centre-based activity programs, or they might prefer to work supporting people out in the community. Beyond that they could pursue a management or a health professional role."

Rachel is a doctor with a history of disability support work. Looking back, she feels that disability support work gave her skills and knowledge that remain relevant to this day.

For seven years, working in the disability sector was a big part of Rachel’s life while she studied to become a doctor, but her passion for working with people with disability started much earlier.

Rachel now works as a junior doctor in a Melbourne hospital and still enjoys occasional weekend shifts as a disability support worker.

“I had wanted to work in the disability sector from a very young age. My older brother Mark has cerebral palsy, intellectual disability and epilepsy, and we’ve always been very close.

We had support workers in our house for as long as I can remember – helping him out of bed and getting him off to school, bringing him home at the end of the day and getting him ready for bed. Seeing the positive difference they made to my brother and my family was very inspiring,” Rachel says.

When she turned 19, Rachel began doing 6-hour day shifts at weekends supporting young adults to go out into the community.

“A big part of disability support work is the social, community inclusion side and encouraging people with disability to become comfortable in busy social spaces. It can be challenging but it’s also a lot of fun.”

When Rachel started university, she wanted to support herself financially and disability support work offered her the flexibility to fit work around her study commitments.

Read more about Rachel’s career in disability - work that matters.

Discover more case studies

Workplace setting

Working in the disability sector, you may support a person with disability in a range of different settings, including:

Employer type

A career in disability offers flexibility and options regarding employment arrangements, such as:

Updated 13 September 2024

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