Hospitality Disability Network WA

10/10/2026

🧠 World Mental Health Day | 10 October

Lived experiences heard. Real voices. Real change.

This year’s World Mental Health Day theme highlights the importance of listening to people with lived experience and making sure their voices help shape the services, support and decisions that affect them.

For us, this connects strongly with the work of Consumers of Mental Health WA (CoMHWA).

Consumers of Mental Health WA puts lived experience at the centre of its work. Its training programs are developed and delivered by people with lived experience, and programs such as ASPIRE support people with lived experience to build skills and pathways into the Peer Workforce.

💬 Listen to lived experience.

👂 Make space for people's voices.

🤝 Involve people in decisions that affect them.

🌱 Create opportunities for lived experience to shape change.

At work and in our communities, listening is an important first step. Real change happens when people are given opportunities to influence what happens next.

🔗 Learn more about CoMHWA and its lived experience programs: CoMHWA https://comhwa.org.au/training/aspire/

07/10/2026

ADHD can look different at work.

People with ADHD may have different ways of processing information, organising tasks, managing attention and approaching their work.

ADHD Australia highlights the importance of creating workplaces that enable people with ADHD to use their skills and perform at their best.

Some workplace strategies that can help include:

📋 Clear and specific instructions

🧩 Breaking larger tasks into smaller steps

👀 Visual reminders and checklists

🔕 Reducing unnecessary distractions

🎯 Clear priorities and deadlines

💬 Regular check-ins

🤝 Flexibility where reasonable

The most important step is to understand the individual and ask what helps them work at their best.

An inclusive workplace recognises that people may work in different ways, and looks at practical strategies that support each person to succeed.

Learn more about ADHD and employment:

Why Can I Do Hard Things but Not Easy Things? ADHD and Task Initiation Why can you tackle complex challenges but struggle to start a simple task? Explore how ADHD can affect task initiation, why motivation and urgency matter, and practical strategies that can make getting started a little easier. 17...

05/10/2026

💜 BPD Awareness Week | 1 to 7 October | Connection changes outcomes.

BPD Awareness Week runs from 1 to 7 October. The 2026 theme is:

“Connection Changes Outcomes: In BPD, Every Interaction Matters.”
For people living with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), respectful, consistent and understanding interactions can make a real difference.

In the workplace, inclusion can start with:
👂 Listening without judgement
💬 Communicating clearly and respectfully
👉Being consistent and reliable
🌱 Creating a supportive work environment
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Focusing on the person, not assumptions about their diagnosis
💜 Giving people the opportunity to ask for support when they need it

Small changes in how we communicate and support each other can help create workplaces where people feel respected, understood and included.

Everyone deserves to feel valued and supported at work.

01/10/2026

🌿 Welcome to Kambarang

Kambarang is the fourth season in the Noongar six-season calendar and is a time of birth, growth and new life.

Across Noongar Boodja, this is a time when many native flowers are blooming and the warmer weather begins to arrive.

At HDNWA, October is also a month for talking about growth, opportunity, connection and creating workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to participate.

25/09/2026

🌟 Four years of building employer confidence

We’re incredibly proud to share the completion of HDNWA’s four-year ILC Building Employer Confidence grant.

Since 2022, this funding has supported some important work across Western Australia’s hospitality and tourism industries, helping to:

• Create employment opportunities for people with disability
• Build employer confidence in inclusive employment
• Strengthen relationships between industry and employment providers
• Improve candidate support before and after employment
• Develop stronger pathways into hospitality and tourism careers

Across the life of the grant, HDNWA supported 267 employment placements. 🎉

The grant also gave us the opportunity to test, refine and strengthen an industry-led model of inclusive employment that we are incredibly proud of.

While the funded activity has now concluded, the relationships, systems, knowledge and employment pathways developed through the grant will continue to shape HDNWA’s work into the future.

We’re incredibly grateful to the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, and to every candidate, employer, provider, partner, Board member and supporter who contributed to this work.

Thank you for being part of the journey. 💙

HDNWA acknowledges the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing for its support through the Information, Linkages and Capacity Building (ILC) Building Employer Confidence and Inclusion in Disability Grant.

23/09/2026

🤟 National Week of Deaf People | 21–27 September 2026

This National Week of Deaf People, we’re celebrating the language, culture, achievements and contributions of Deaf people across Australia.

For hospitality and tourism, inclusion means thinking about how people experience your workplace or venue, from communication and customer service to recruitment and everyday interactions.

Creating a more inclusive industry can start with simple steps:

• Learn more about Auslan and Deaf culture

• Consider how your team communicates with Deaf colleagues and customers

• Make information and services easier to access

• Challenge assumptions about Deaf people and employment

• Create workplaces where Deaf people can participate, contribute and progress

Accessibility is part of creating a welcoming experience for everyone.

This week, let’s celebrate the Deaf community and keep building a hospitality and tourism industry where everyone can communicate, participate and belong. 💙🤟

21/09/2026

🤝 Employment is about more than getting the job. It’s about having the opportunity to succeed in it.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), in 2022, 62.5% of working-age Australians with disability experienced employment restrictions, including restrictions around the type of work they could do or the number of hours they could work.

For employers, this is an opportunity to think differently about how work is structured.

Could a task be done differently?

Could hours be adjusted?

Could responsibilities be shared across a team?

Could a workplace adjustment remove a barrier?

At HDNWA, we work with hospitality and tourism businesses to look at the person, the role and the practical support that can help create a successful match.

Because inclusive employment isn’t about lowering expectations. It’s about removing unnecessary barriers so people can contribute their skills and strengths.

If your business wants to explore what inclusive employment could look like in your workplace, reach out to the HDNWA team. We’re here to help. 💙

18/09/2026

📣 Our latest HDNWA newsletter is here!

Stay up to date with what’s happening across the Hospitality Disability Network WA.

Whether you’re an HDNWA member, hospitality employer, employment provider or simply passionate about creating more inclusive workplaces, there’s plenty to catch up on.

👉 Read our latest newsletter and see what’s happening at HDNWA.

16/09/2026

💗 LIPTEMBER

Self-care can be...

Asking for help.

Setting a boundary.

Taking a break.

Saying “no”.

Asking for what you need.

Giving yourself permission to slow down.

This Liptember, we’re talking about women’s mental health and the importance of creating spaces where women feel supported to look after themselves.

For us at HDNWA, that conversation belongs in the workplace too.

Inclusive workplaces should make it easier for people to:

💗 Speak up when they need support

💗 Ask for reasonable adjustments

💗 Take care of their wellbeing

💗 Set healthy boundaries

💗 Feel safe being themselves at work

For women with disability, having a workplace that listens, adapts and provides the right support can make a real difference to participation and wellbeing.

So this September, let’s keep the conversation going.

What does self-care look like for you?

Head to https://www.liptember.com.au/ for more!

14/09/2026

Join us at Access to Opportunity, a free inclusive employment networking event hosted by the Town of Cambridge.

We’re excited that John Parker from Marriott and Eliza will be sharing their experiences as part of the employee and employer presentation.

Connect with employers, service providers, people with disability and community organisations, and take part in practical conversations about inclusive employment.

📅 Friday 18 September
🕕 6:00pm–8:30pm
📍 The Boulevard Centre, Floreat
🎟️ Free – bookings essential

Register: https://megatix.com.au/events/access-to-opportunity