Key points
- Gus is a lab technician who has been working at CSIRO for six years. He also has Down Syndrome.
- He's passionate about people with disabilities finding meaningful work.
- He's an advocate for people with and without disability working together because it builds understanding.
Gus is 24 and he enjoys tennis, singing and watching the Canberra Raiders. He lives with his family in Canberra's Inner North.
He has been working as a lab technician with us for six years, ever since he left college. You don’t have to talk to Gus for long to see how much he loves his job. He takes so much pride in his work and knows how important his role is to the scientists working in the lab.
His habit of singing while he works brightens everyone’s spirits and his sense of humour is much appreciated in the tearoom.
Gus has Down Syndrome, an intellectual disability resulting from having an extra copy of chromosome 21. He is very passionate about people with disabilities finding meaningful work and finding opportunities for everyone to understand each other a little better. It’s no wonder when you consider that in high school, the science faculty assumed it would be too dangerous for a student with disability to do lab work and wouldn't allow Gus to get his Bunsen burner licence. He now works, very safely, in a Physical Containment Level 2 (PC2) facility.
Speaking at a conference last year in Canberra that focused on employing people with disability, Gus said: "I was very lucky when I left school. Michelle [Stuckey, a previous employee] said there was a job at CSIRO."
"She showed me some photos and a video of the work. It looked good, so I went to an interview. The first part of the interview was hard because it was hard to answer questions from strangers.
"But then we went into the lab. Michelle showed me what to do and I had a go. It was fun and I could do it. So I got the job!
"Michelle is my 'workplace champion'. She also did my first training. But I have also learned from lots of my workmates."
Alisha Anderson, Gus's manager, reflected: "We didn’t know at the time that the approach we took in the interview and how we trained and now work with Gus is called 'Customised Employment'.
"We only knew we needed to bring out Gus's strengths and find ways for him to succeed in the role, so we applied our strength as scientists to problem solve and find alternate ways to do things."
Rather than creating a job and having candidates compete for it, Customised Employment starts with the person, focusing on their unique strengths and interests and finding roles where those contributions are needed. This approach benefits employers by connecting them with candidates who fulfil workplace needs and contribute to an inclusive culture, while candidates are valued as individuals with unique skills. It is about creating opportunities for people to thrive in the workplace.
And Gus is certainly thriving. His is now an advocate and role model for Customised Employment and often shares his experience at CSIRO to raise awareness.
Our Disability, Inclusion and Access Action Plan outlines the actions we will take to contribute towards an inclusive culture and to become a disability confident employer.
Gus jumped at the opportunity to share his story for International Day of People with Disability and he wants others to know, especially others with disability.
"It's good to work. It makes you feel proud, and you meet lots of great people."
"It is also good if people with and without disability work together. This is good for everyone, because people might understand each other better."