Ro’Ah Hamad is a Disability Support Coordinator and an avid social worker. Hamad was born and brought up in Sydney, Australia but is originally from Palestine. She had done voluntary work for organizations working towards helping and positively changing the lives of individuals with disabilities.
This week, we had the opportunity to interview Ro’Ah Hamad as we spoke about her journey towards becoming a Disability Support Coordinator, what works she has done towards helping to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities, and what young people can do if they wish to attain a fulfilling career as a Disability Support Coordinator.
Interviewer: Can you tell us more about your work as a Disability support coordinator?
Ro’Ah Hamad: I work as a disability support coordinator at one of the leading organizations in Australia. My role is to assist clients in navigating their NDIS plan and connecting them to the right allied health services for therapy. Working with people with disabilities means working with one of the most vulnerable groups in the community, so it’s very important to take into account who I am working with and ensuring they are receiving proper treatment and also have a say in their plan and how it is used.
Interviewer: You have done numerous volunteering projects through organizations in the field of social work. What inspired you to pursue this career path?
Ro’Ah Hamad: I have previously volunteered in the community services sector, where I would shadow and observe social workers. As part of my university degree, I was made to do 1,000 hours’ worth of work experience, where I got to do hands-on work with clients, working with clients of refugee background mainly.
What inspired me to pursue this career path is an opportunity, I wanted to advance my skills and knowledge in the sector and I found this to be really helpful in providing me with experience in working with people with disabilities as the social work field is diverse and I know that at some point I will across a client who may require further support due to their disability. So this field would teach me how to work in the best interest of the client.
Interviewer: What has been the best moment of your career as a Disability support coordinator?
Ro’Ah Hamad: The best moment of my career when working as a support coordinator is when I receive feedback from my clients and their families that they are satisfied with the services they are receiving. It allows me to feel assured that my clients are in good hands.
Interviewer: Did you always want to work in this field of work or did you stumble upon this by accident?
Ro’Ah Hamad: I never thought I would end up working in the field of disability, I always try to stir away from it as I believe it is a challenging role. I do believe I stumbled upon this role by accident, it’s like I was meant to be there and the role basically chose me which now I am very grateful for.
Interviewer: Individuals with disabilities often face discrimination during the initial hiring stages. What is your opinion on that?
Ro’Ah Hamad: Unfortunately, discrimination against people with disabilities is widespread across the world, it’s happening way too often and more measures should be put in place to ensure this does not happen. To tackle this problem, more education needs to be provided to members of the community. This can be through workshops, seminars, articles in the newspapers, etc.
It doesn’t mean if someone has a disability, this does not mean they are unable to do the task they are assigned, unfortunately, this is a huge misconception. Yes at times a certain task may require certain criteria, which a person with a disability may not fit, however, this can also be applied to those without a disability who may also not fit that job description/ criteria due to many reasons.
People with a disability are not given the same opportunity at work and are expected to do the same task as everyone else, whilst they have received zero to a quarter education and training as those without a disability. They are faced with judgment and discrimination for not completing the task well. This should never be the case! If it’s required for people with a disability to undertake further access to job training so be it. Unfortunately as someone who has seen the way those with a disability get treated by disability job providers I can confidentially say we have a gap in our system and have a lot of work to do to ensure we are moving forward in terms of servicing clients.
Interviewer: Health experts fear that individuals with disabilities might face discrimination from nurses or medical staff in the upcoming years as the cases of COVID-19 increase. What is your opinion on that?
Ro’Ah Hamad: Unfortunately, this sounds really concerning, you would believe this is something that does not happen in the health sector however it is common. I believe it’s important starting from this stage (although should be done earlier) to empower those with a disability to speak up and know who to go to when this occurs. Also, become aware of their rights if they already aren’t. This occurs due to a much deeper level, the healthcare system is understaffed and underfunded which hinders the provision of adequate training.
Interviewer: What advice would you like to give to young people looking to pursue the same career and professional aspirations as you?
Ro’Ah Hamad: Here is some advice I would have loved someone to give me:
- Being a Social Worker entails a lot of responsibility, so take it easy on yourself. Every day you’ll learn something new, and experiences challenges and obstacles.
- Do not be harsh on yourself if you feel that you’re behind in terms of your skills and knowledge, because the reality is you’re not!
- There are many opportunities out there that suit you best, take the time to learn and trust your gut.
- Self-care and boundaries are very important to learn prior to getting into the field. They will come in handy once you begin practicing Social Work.
- Make connections before graduating even if it means volunteering or taking on part-time work in the community services field. It will add to your skills on a personal and professional level.
