Uber & Enabled Employment: A New Kind of Mobility

For over 4 million people with a disability facing adversity is part of everyday life. Especially when it comes to participation in the workforce. Unfortunately there are still significant barriers to earning a steady income for many people with a disability.

Unemployment rates for this community are unacceptably high. This year unemployment for people with disability was twice as high as the general population and labour force participation was half that of the non-disabled workforce.

At Uber we believe everyone has the right to financial independence, and flexible economic opportunities should be made available to all.

That’s why today we’re announcing a partnership with Enabled Employment – an innovative start-up run by people with a disability for people with a disability – to extend flexible economic opportunities to thousands of its disabled members able to drive on the uberX platform.

We hope this partnership not only helps Enabled Employment members find well-paid income opportunities, but also encourages the 53% of disabled people with a driving licence to consider driving on the uberX platform.

This includes partners like Jordan who lives with Achondroplasia and chose to drive on the uberX platform to escape unemployment.

“I was unemployed for a year before I found Uber. I decided to join Uber because I wanted to do something during the day while I was looking for a job. It was really hard for me to find another job because of my size, but with Uber nothing like that matters.

Joining Uber was the best decision I’ve ever made. Not only do I get to meet new people and hear funny stories, I can also start when I want and finish when I want.

I would recommend Uber to anyone looking for some extra money or finding it hard to find a job.” – Jordan, Perth.

And partners like Paul who chose to drive with Uber to supplement his income while studying computer science.

“I was born with Spina Bifida and I really should not be here (alive) to write this, let alone having the ability to walk and function reasonably well, something that the majority of people with my condition will never experience.

I have my older brother and sister to thank for my ability to walk and  the most amazing mother in the universe to thank for my life thus far.

I am a chef by trade, but due to my condition I had to retire. Uber has now given me the opportunity to supplement my average wage to the point that I may continue my studies and also afford a few personal splurges here and there.

Finding a second job that allowed me to keep off my feet, not to mention being free to relax and enjoy meeting so many cool people and only do the hours I am comfortable with was impossible until I found Uber.” – Paul, Brisbane.