For 28-year-old Chloe Nash, finding employment in Canberra was tough.
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After a year and a half without work and 250 employment service job applications later, she took matters into her own hands.
Ms Nash, who is deaf and uses Australian sign language and lip reading to communicate, posted a status on Facebook asking her friends, family and followers for a job, preferably in administration.
Lucky for Ms Nash, Nicole Lawder MLA saw the post.
Ms Lawder, who has previously worked with deaf people, knows the barriers they faced for getting work. After an interview, held in Auslan with a translator, Ms Lawder found a part-time place for Ms Nash as an administration assistant in her office.
"Politicians talk a lot about inclusion but they don't always actually walk the talk," Ms Lawder said.
"I think it's very important to provide any sort of young person with employment experience. If you're deaf, there are probably more barriers that you are facing every day, but Chloe can do anything in the office, except maybe answer the phone."
Ms Nash believed she was the first deaf person to work in a politician's office not just in Canberra, but in Australia.
In an email interview, she said one of the most rewarding aspects of the job was being able to communicate in Auslan with her boss, Ms Lawder.
"Nicole has been learning Auslan and her skills are improving each day," Ms Nash said.
"She respects my language, my culture and she fully understands what 'accessible' means for deaf people."
Ms Lawder is a strong advocate for the tight-knit deaf community in Canberra.
As a way of breaking down the barriers they face for accessing information, she will table a motion to amend the standing orders of the ACT Legislative Assembly in the coming week.
The notice of motion will be put to allow an accredited Auslan interpreter onto the floor of the Assembly at any time – a place normally reserved only for members.
Ms Nash believed the change to the standing orders would benefit the deaf community.
She said for many deaf people using Auslan, English was not their first language so even reading Hansard records could be difficult.
While her passion is to work in sports administration, her stint in the Legislative Assembly might just go some way to changing her mind.
Translated through Ms Lawder, Ms Nash said one day she might become a politician to advocate for better access for the deaf community.