Increasing access and inclusion in Fairfield
On Monday 7 August, Fairfield City Council launched their disability inclusion action plan. The plan details what Council will do to encourage positive community attitudes and behaviours towards people with disability, make it easier to get around the community, support access to meaningful employment opportunities and improve access to Council information, services and facilities.
The launch represented the completion of all local council DIAPs in NSW, required under the NSW Disability Inclusion Act 2014. It was also a valuable opportunity to connect the local community with disability service providers, with Council hosting information stalls for local NDIS-registered providers.
Fairfield City Council’s Mayor launched the Plan. The launch was also attended by the Minister for Disability Services, Ray Williams, who explained that disability inclusion action planning is both “unique and unprecedented in Australia. It means that State and Local Governments are working together to ensure people with disability can fully enjoy the opportunities available in our communities.”
ARTD worked with Fairfield City Council to develop their DIAP, using a co-design approach grounded in the principle of ‘nothing about us without us’. We consulted people with disability, their family and carers and local service providers to understand the barriers people face when interacting with Council and getting around the community, and what they saw as the priorities.
To ensure the consultation process was accessible and inclusive, we used accessible venues with hearing loops installed, and drew on bilingual educators to conduct consultations in local community languages. We also worked with our partner, the Information Access Group, to produce an Easy Read consultation guide, as well as the final DIAP in Easy Read format.
We then worked with Council staff and managers to develop a realistic plan of action for the next four years and indicators to track progress.
You can access Fairfield City’s DIAP on the Council website.
[Photo by Fairfield City Council, featuring Mayor, Frank Carbone; Fairfield City Leisure Centres trainer Fred Zhao; and the Hon Ray Williams MP]
