Draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan

Here are the new actions developed in consultation with our community.

The full draft DIAP includes community profiles, the City's vision and demographic profile, and a plan to measure outcomes. Access the PDF HERE.

DEVELOPING POSITIVE COMMUNITY ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOURS

• Deliver Inclusion Education activities (for staff and Councillors) to increase understanding of inclusive practices
• Develop an Inclusive Customer Care Guide-with roles/responsibilities for all front facing staff
• Develop a Communications Plan to promote the DIAP and its achievements internally and externally
• Coordinate delivery of a program of activities to mark International Day of People
• with a Disability

CREATING LIVEABLE COMMUNITIES

• Deliver training on Universal Design principles to staff involved in planning and design to ensure consistency of application
• Leverage Destination NSW’s implementation of inclusive and accessible training workshops for tourism operators in the LGA
• Increase the installation of permanent and temporary digital wayfinding kiosks around Parramatta’s CBD to ensure visually impaired people have better access
• Design new Council Chambers in Parramatta Square to enable and encourage access and full participation by Councillors and community members with access needs
• Creation of quiet spaces to escape sensory overload in existing and new public areas to increase access for all

SUPPORTING ACCESS TO MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT

• Implement Council’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategy to develop a more inclusive workplace
• Join Australian Network on Disability (AND) bronze membership and activate Access and Inclusion Index to enable benchmarking
• Undertake Australian Network on Disability (AND) Disability Confident recruitment education for Talent Acquisition staff to increase access to employment and ensure inclusive work practices
• Implement a Disability Employee Resource Group (ERG) to increase awareness of disability inclusion and improve inclusive work practices

IMPROVING ACCESS TO SERVICES THROUGH IMPROVED SYSTEMS & PROCESSES

• Work towards developing subject matter experts on inclusion and access in each
• Directorate to support the application of inclusive practices
• Working towards achieving Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1AA to continually improve access to information
• Develop inclusive guidelines for content, this includes language, contrast, font/size/spacing, representation in imagery to ensure accessibility of information produced
• Develop a robust Outcomes Measurement Framework. Working collaboratively with
• subject matter experts, and the community to create a framework that will track progress
• on improving outcomes

Here are the ongoing commitments the City of Parramatta has incorporated into our practice and processes.

DEVELOPING POSITIVE COMMUNITY ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS

• Ensuring people with disability are represented at Council's stakeholder workshops and community meetings
• Working with Council’s Access Advisory Committee to raise awareness of disability and access issues
• Developed and distributed customer focused guidelines on access and inclusion for local businesses and visitor attractions and event organisers to guide how they include all their customers. We will continue to deliver activities to improve community awareness of disability and the social and economic benefits of inclusiveness
• Developed an inclusive sport and recreation directory for the LGA
• Provide people with disability opportunities for accessible and inclusive participation in sport and recreation programs especially during the school holidays
• Coordinate the delivery of a program of activities to mark the International Day for People with a Disability 2021. Continuing this coordination yearly

CREATING LIVEABLE COMMUNITIES

• Improvement of the accessibility of footpaths, open spaces, and Council facilities and events by using inclusive checklists and policy guidelines
• Ensuring setbacks for buildings in the Parramatta CBD and town centres within the City of Parramatta are accessible, including adopting wider footpath standards
• Inclusion of accessibility development controls within Development Control Plans (DCP), which guides development throughout our major precincts and Parramatta CBD
• Ensuring all large-scale redevelopment sites where new streets are introduced have accessible parking and drop off points
• Ensuring that early planning of parks and recreation projects considers access and inclusion for people with disability, with particular focus on Universal Design
• Creation of inclusive and accessible playgrounds for example Ollie Webb Reserve.Continue to incorporate universal design principles in the design of new and upgraded playgrounds
• Upgrading parks and open spaces to be compliant with current access legislation and standards
• Ensuring new and upgraded public buildings, facilities and open spaces meet Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) National Construction Code/ BCA and the Disability (Access to Premises) Standards requirements as well adhere to universal design principles. Examples include the Council’s new Parramatta Aquatic & Leisure Centre and Civic building (Parramatta Hive)
• Employed a Universal Design Project Officer who has reviewed up to 400 council projects on access and inclusion. This role continues to provide vital oversight on inclusion throughout Council projects
• By continually managing areas of concern, we will ensure the City and Local Government Areas remain accessible during the major upgrades
• Planning and building new pedestrian and shared path facilities that improve mobility and accessibly for all community members
• Upgrading parks and open spaces to be compliant with current access legislation and standards

SUPPORTING ACCESS TO MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT

• DIAP Project Officer – this role is responsible for supporting the implementing DIAP actions across Council and the greater community and increasing the awareness of and promotion of inclusion
• The Diversity and Inclusion Consultant role champions a Council wide approach of these areas
• Development of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy for Council which provides a framework for Council to create a more inclusive workplace by promoting a diverse and inclusive environment

IMPROVING ACCESS TO SERVICES THROUGH IMPROVED SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES

• Providing timely, relevant, and easy to read information through channels regarding access and inclusion improvements across Council services and facilities
• Continually updating Council’s website to provide up to date and effective information about access and inclusion in the LGA, including a link to the National Public Toilet map
• Continue to provide Auslan interpreted performances and audio description at
• Riverside theatre performances
• Continue to offer modified performances and support materials to create a more accessible environment for people on the autism spectrum
• Development of strong partnerships with the Disability Sector to ensure programming is guided by best practice approaches to inclusive programming
• Ensuring Council meetings are inclusive, and the community are involved in decision making processes. Council meetings are now webcast with a mobile hearing loop available

The City of Parramatta is due to have a new Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) in place by July 2022.

The new DIAP aims to build on the achievements of the current plan (most of which are now business as usual) and to arrive at an agreed set of actions for 2022-2026.

Our goal for the new plan is to truly reflect the needs of those with a lived experience of disability. To achieve this, extensive consultation with relevant stakeholders and community members took place between August and December 2021.

Engaging the community

To ensure the consultation was substantive and meaningful, engagement was undertaken in four stages, with each stage building upon and informing the next stage of consultation.

• Those with lived experience
• The broader community
• City of Parramatta staff
• Public exhibition (to be announced)

Below are some highlights from the DIAP community engagement.

Creating disability and age-friendly parkland space is of the utmost importance to our local families of mixed age and mobility.

‐ Participant

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From our perspective the biggest thing is access and adequate facilities to meet needs. Attending events - particularly where there are stages - having an area with good view for those with mobility restrictions would be useful.

‐ Participant

All submissions made by the community were reviewed and key or common themes identified.

1. Creating liveable communities

You told us:

• That accessible facilities and infrastructure are your priorities for creating a liveable community.
• That you want to have a say in the design of new facilities from the beginning and want to see the ongoing improvements to public transport, lighting and footpaths rolled out across the entire LGA.

2. Developing positive community attitudes

You told us:

• That more education and training is needed in the community and opportunities for you to speak about your experiences in your own voice.
• You want to be a visible participant in the community to challenge people’s assumptions about people with a disability.  You believe Council should work with others to create opportunities for people with disability to interact with the community and seek employment.

3. Supporting meaningful employment

You told us:

• That you were keen to contribute in meaningful ways and be paid fairly for doing so.
• That discrimination and an unwillingness to make reasonable adjustments act as obstacles to employment.
• You feel Council has an important role to play in setting an example. Building a supportive, welcoming, and respectful workplace where people feel empowered and valued is key to achieving this goal.

4. Improving access to services through better systems and processes

You told us:

• That access to information was an integral part of facilitating access to Council services. You suggested the provision of free Wi-Fi in the Parramatta CBD and the establishment of a single accessible community hub.

I really enjoyed the flow of the workshop. I liked the positive focus and the encouragement to dream and really envision a great future city.

‐ Participant

Next steps

This feedback all fed into the Draft Disability Inclusion Aciton Plan, the Public exhibition for which concluded at 5pm on Tuesday 21 June 2022.