What would it be like to work in a corporate environment for a business that wants to ensure accessibility and inclusion for people with disability?
A group of young Vision Australia clients had the opportunity to find out in September when they visited tech giant Microsoft at its Brisbane office.
There, they met with volunteers from Microsoft to learn about its workplace culture.
“We want teens and young people to have a taste of a real workplace, to occupy the spaces briefly that they’d like to walk into one day as employees,” said Courtney McKee, Vision Australia manager of Children and Young People unit in Queensland.
It was a full day, complete with guest speakers, a role-play scenario, a tour of Microsoft’s offices, and a great deal of discussion among attendees.
One highlight of the day was an introduction to Kenny Singh, former Vision Australia employee and now a valued leader and member of Microsoft’s cyber security team.
Kenny has low vision. Learning about Kenny’s career journey was not only enlightening, but reassuring for many attendees.
“Big companies are happy with blind and low vision employees: I thought that was quite good to know,” said Olly Fanshawe, 15, who attended the day at Microsoft.
Attendees also heard from Amanda Frampton, a learning delivery specialist with Microsoft, who educates people about the technological resources available to them.
Amanda discussed the assistive technology apps Seeing AI and Soundscape, both of which have proven to be beneficial for those living with blindness or low vision.
Dewi Wahyuni, a product manager for Clipchamp, a video creation and editing app, shared her experience of the accessible design platform for Youtubers with disability.
“Working to improve accessibility has taught me to be more thoughtful and purposeful in what I do,” Dewi said.
A role-playing scenario followed Dewi’s presentation, portraying a service interaction between a customer and a Microsoft representative. The participative scenario set expectations of appropriate behaviours in a professional and public-facing setting.
A Microsoft customer success account manager, Hilary Te, shed light on its graduate program. As a former graduate, Hilary gave insight to workforce pathways and offered advice about how to gain valuable workplace skills and experience as well.
Next, attendees toured Microsoft’s Brisbane office, where they conversed with their tour guide and asked any remaining questions, followed by a debrief that concluded the day to discuss what they had learned and could take with them into the future.
“I hope the attendees were able to take away a better understanding of what it’s like to work at Microsoft,” said Bryn Chalfont, also a Microsoft customer success account manager and event co-host. Dewi agreed: “I hope the participants will be more aware of their options, and will be more confident in what the workforce is like.”
Vision Australia seeks to equip young people who are blind or have low vision with the skills and experiences they need to thrive in and beyond school.
The day at Microsoft could not have taken place without the support of Microsoft Brisbane, with whom Vision Australia shares a volunteer partnership.
“I really want to thank Microsoft for being such wonderful partners in this day and thank each of the individual Microsoft volunteers for sharing their expertise and warmth with all our participants,” Courtney, the event organiser, said.