Standing among 130 hens on the family's farm at Mudgegonga in Victoria's North East, the 19-year-old is happy and right at home.

Paddy, who is non-verbal and has autism, has been able to create his own business selling eggs from his free-ranging chickens.

Bolstered by the love and support of his parents, Kelli and Damien, and brother Jack, Paddy's Poultry Produce is spreading its wings.

When Paddy finished at Wodonga's Belvoir Special School last year, his parents turned to each other and asked what they could do to get him involved in a job.

"He is essentially non-verbal and has the mentality of about a 6 to 8-year-old," explains Kelli, a teacher at Wodonga Middle Years College.

"There are day programs but we thought surely there is more he can do."

Damien, an earth-moving contractor, was toying with the idea of doing more farming and, given Paddy "really likes chooks", an idea was hatched.

Each day Paddy and Damien head out from their home at Yackandandah to the 120-acre property to feed the chooks, collect and pack eggs.

Paddy is quite meticulous in the sorting room and enjoys grading the eggs, according to Damien.

"He knows the feed routines, he gets the bucket and fills it out of the silos and then into the feeder," he says.

"Paddy loves the continuity (of the tasks) and stacking eggs into the cartons (he's as proud as punch of the labels with his photo on them).

"It's one step at a time, he knows what he's doing and if there is any egg with a crack, he knows it goes straight into the bin."

Once a week the chicken "caravan" is moved to fresh pastures; the highlight for Paddy is riding on the big red tractor with his dad.

The community has been supportive and inclusive of Paddy since he was a young boy, the parents explain.

Now they're buying his eggs.

"We do deliveries on Monday morning, we have a list that he ticks off," Damien says.

"It's lovely when we go to a place and they make a fuss of him and even though we help with the business, they say 'Thanks Paddy for the eggs' and his face lights up."

The new Yackandandah butcher stocks Paddy's eggs while the all-inclusive Purple Chicken cafe at Albury is now cooking with them.

Kelli says some days are more smooth sailing than others as Paddy requires one-on-one support 24/7.

There's been a lot of red tape to navigate to get NDIS funding and supports right since he became an "adult".

But this venture is opening up opportunities - now and into the future, Kelli says.

"We just want him to be happy and to be OK."

Advocacy and support services are renewing calls to help foster more inclusive workplaces for people with a disability.

Less than half of people with a disability of working age are in employment, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has reported.

And yet it is a fundamental right in Australia to have access to meaningful employment and the economic, social and personal benefits that it provides, according to Life Without Barriers.

The organisation is calling for an end to discrimination and championing the theme to see "the ability in disability" to coincide with International Day of People With Disability today.

One in four Australians lives with a disability and yet according to the AIHW, in the past 12 months (among people aged 15 and over with disability living in households), an estimated:

On the Border, individuals, organisations and businesses are helping to pioneer new pathways for people with disability.

Albury's Purple Chicken Cafe, which offers a real-life training ground in hospitality for young adults with a disability, is proof of how high you can fly with the right supports.

The busy cafe serves up fabulous food to happy customers and many of its "chickens" are flying the coop to paid work thanks to the program.

"People with disabilities are often under-employed and we want to bridge this gap," founder Jen Tait said when she first started the venture two years ago.