When Balancing Bookkeeper Canberra contacted The Personnel Group looking for staff, Workplace Support Consultant Sarah Blackman sensed Yuri would be the right fit.
She has office admin skills and work experience but often faced discrimination in her search for work.
Cerebral Palsy affects Yuri’s agility, mobility and verbal communication.
Yuri moved to live with relatives in Brisbane when she was a teenager in the hope of more opportunities and less stigma than her life in Japan.
Yuri faced another frustrating job search when her fiancé was posted to Canberra with the Royal Australian Air Force.
“I had worked short-term contracts in early 2022, but before that, I had not been able to secure work since moving to Canberra in 2020,” she says.
Sarah knew it was only a matter of time until the right employer came along, and that was Balancing Bookkeeper.
“Her resume reads well, and she often gets calls or offers for interviews,” says Sarah.
However, when contacted by phone or in person, potential employers would not ask about her skills but if she could complete tasks due to her disability.
“I knew we had to find an employer that would welcome Yuri for her skills,” says Sarah, who reached out and arranged an interview for Yuri.
Yuri started work the week after her interview.
“My consultant Sarah is easy to talk to, and the people I work with are amazing,” Yuri says.
“Work has given me hope and trust in society again.
“This also makes me feel like I am in a real partnership with my fiancé and that he isn’t looking after me.
“I now feel I have a purpose and a reason to get up in the morning.”