Having just finished her first shift as a waitress, Gabrielle Simmons was chuffed to have a chance at a regular job after enthusiastically being asked to come back the next day.
But when the manager found out she had a vision condition, she lost the job she was able to perform perfectly just minutes before.
“He said, if you can't see how can I trust you putting food on people's tables or carrying plates?” She told Vision Australia Radio’s Studio 1.
“You're going to get it to the wrong table.
“I can't trust you with money if you can't see.”
Unemployed and in a severely competitive job market during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabrielle was at her wits end until a chance suggestion from a career advisor.
She applied for the Vision Australia Career Start program, a 12 month program that encompasses a nine-month paid placement within Vision Australia and a three-month paid placement with an external employer.
With a background in film and production design, Gabrielle was placed in the fundraising department at Vision Australia and has joined the marketing arm of RACV as her placement.
“Every day was a little bit different at work. I could be at Seeing Eye Dogs filming puppies with my film degree or answering emails and running focus groups,” she said of her time at Vision Australia.
“It was really, really great.”
The Career Start Program is currently open for new applications for the 2022-2023 year.
Successful applicants must be legally blind and have obtained a qualification at a diploma level or higher within the last four years, and be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
To apply and read more about the job, visit the Career Start Graduate Job Site.
Listen to the full interview with Gabrielle on Studio 1 in the player below: