Audrey O'Connor
Meet Equality at Work Ambassador Audrey O'Connor and explore her career journey, insights on working with disability, and why meaningful employment matters.
About Audrey
I am currently working in the Art Department with the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) as a paid intern. It is hands-on work; helping with creating film sets for students of AFTRS. My disability is Down Syndrome, which is an intellectual disability. I embrace who I am as a person; my disability is part of who I am.
The journey
I really enjoyed my job at Sydney Theatre Company (STC) and was sad when it came to an end. I left STC to start a new job at a ‘book’ company, however the week before I started, I was rejected by the CEO who did not wish to have someone with my disability working there. I did some work in the office of Job Support, until they found me another job in a Film Company. I proudly worked there as an Admin Assistant for 8.5yrs until I was made redundant. Since this time, and through the support of Bus Stop Films, I have had three internships and one that I am working in now.
Why it matters
Meaningful employment means working in a job where I have a passion and where I feel I can contribute some of my own talents and where I am an accepted part of the culture of the business. Also being able to make new friends and working together is very important. In my first real job I was wondering if I would be accepted by the people working there. I felt very welcomed by the CEO and those who worked closest to me were fun and supportive and most of the people were friendly.
