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The Disability and Inclusion Action Plan or DIAP is a public document developed in consultation with people with disability, their families and supporters, Council staff and those who are working towards more inclusion in the Disability Sector.
The plan outlines the practical steps that the City of Parramatta Council is committed to take over the subsequent four (4) years to create a more inclusive community for people with disability who are living, working, and accessing the Parramatta local government area. It outlines how Council proposes to address the key focus areas nominated by people with disability in previous community consultations as being of primary importance to them in creating an inclusive community.
The Disability Inclusion Act 2014 (NSW) acknowledges human rights and promotes the independence and social and economic inclusion of people with disability. The Act requires NSW government departments, local Councils, and some other public authorities to develop and implement a Disability Inclusion Action Plan. The aims and objectives of the Disability Inclusion Act 2014 (NSW) align with the National Disability Strategy and the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan guidelines.
The Draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2030 document is created for the community to:
- Better understand what disability inclusion is all about; and
- See what City of Parramatta Council is proposing to deliver under our next Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2030, starting 1 July 2026.
The document is presented as a draft, to allow for feedback from our community to be considered before going to Council for approval, with anticipated delivery of the Plan to begin 1 July 2026.
Council is working on an Easy Read version. This will be finalised after Council approval of the document following this public exhibition period.
It will be made available in July 2026 on Council’s dedicated web page for the Disability Inclusion Action Plan, along with the final version of the 2026-2030 Plan: www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/disability-inclusion-action-plan
DIAP – Disability Inclusion Action Plan
CSP – Community Strategic Plan
IP&R – Integrated Reporting and Planning
You can read it from front to back, or just the parts that interest you.
You will find key information on Council’s Plan in the DIAP 2026-2030 Snapshot section, on pages 8-9.
You will find the action details listed in the 2026-2030 Key Actions section, on pages 22-27.
In mid-2025, Council offered various opportunities and channels for the community to share their experiences and have their say. We particularly wanted to hear from:
- Persons with disability, or carers of a person with disability, who live, work or study in the Parramatta Local Government Area.
- Representatives of peak disability bodies or advocacy groups with strong links to the Parramatta Local Government Area.
- Employees of local disability service providers, located in the Parramatta Local Government Area.
Engagement activities included:
- An online survey
- Face-to-face focus group discussions
- Online community forum ‘MySpeak’
- Video & Voice Memo's
Stage one consultation closed at 5pm on Monday 14 July 2025.
This is a summary of feedback we heard from people living with a disability in the community, the disability support sector, as well as friends and carers which has helped to inform the new draft DIAP 2026-2030. The engagement program took place in 2025 and was facilitated by BROOKS Community Engagement in conjunction with the City of Parramatta.
Our key community stakeholders expressed where Council and Parramatta are doing well and where to focus our attention to advance access and inclusion in the City of Parramatta.
This information can also be found on page 21 of the draft DIAP 2026-2030.
What we heard – general community feedback:
- City of Parramatta is an inclusive and accessible place, with public spaces and services reflecting a commitment to meeting diverse needs.
- Consultation participants acknowledged the positive steps taken in making newer buildings, public spaces, and services more accessible.
- Council’s DIAP vision statement should refer to people with both visible and invisible disabilities.
What we heard – key issues for people with disability:
- Increased community awareness of disability and confidence in engaging with people with disability is needed, including amongst employers and service providers.
- Accessibility criteria grounded in Universal Design needs to inform planning and delivery of Council services and spaces.
- More inclusive community events and programming, accompanied by event accessibility information, is highly desired by the community.
- People with service dogs require specific considerations in the built environment for access and inclusion in Parramatta.
- Better wayfinding informed by Universal Design is needed, particularly within the Parramatta CBD.
- Limited accessible car parking, on and off-street, is creating barriers to accessing the Parramatta CBD and Lake Parramatta in particular.
- Construction and maintenance of accessible and connected footpaths is essential for safety and inclusion.
- Gaining employment is a significant challenge, and people with disability need channels for work experience and inclusive employment across the community.
- Employer education and resources are needed to increase inclusive recruitment practices and create supportive work environments for people with disability.
- Council needs to ensure it provides an accessible website, offering ease of navigation and a dedicated page for people with disability.
Since 2017, under the first and second Disability Inclusion Action Plans, Council has delivered many projects and changes to improve access and inclusion for people with disability in Parramatta.
Many issues raised by the community are already being addressed through these actions, including very recently completed actions.
As a large proportion of these changes have been to systems, processes and planning, they are often not immediately visible and obvious. Some issues raised by the community are also beyond Council’s authority and operations.
Council has created a comprehensive list of responses to the key issues raised by the community, intended to describe changes already made or issues beyond Council’s control.
We hope this helps the community understand the list of new actions proposed for our Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2030.
In this Draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026-2030 document, Council has only provided details on the new actions to be delivered over 2026-2030 in response to key issues raised during the community consultation process.
For a detailed list of all Council responses to the key issues raised, you can read “Council Responses – DIAP 2026-2030 Community Consultations (2025)”, available in the Resources section and on Council's main website's the dedicated Disability Inclusion Action Plan webpage www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/disability-inclusion-action-plan.
We wanted to hear about the format and order of the document – did you have suggestions for how to make the document easier to read and understand (beyond creating an Easy Read version)?
We wanted to hear your thoughts, concerns and appreciation for any of the draft actions proposed for 2026-2030.
We wanted to determine if there was content missing, that would help you better understand the actions planned?
Council maintains a webpage where we list information and links to Council services and resources related to access for people with disability: www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/community/ageing-and-disability/people-with-disability.
City of Parramatta is a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider able to offer a range of services for people that have an NDIS package.
These services range from support coordination, individual or group support, meal preparation and delivery through Meals on Wheels, assistance to access the community, social and recreational activities, accompanied shopping, meals and capacity building.
You can call our Community Care team on (02) 9806 5121 to talk about Council’s disability services.
Learn more here: Disability Inclusion and Access Services
