Whitehorse is at the forefront of moves to remove barriers for people with a disability in their dealings with Council and, as far as possible, in the wider community.
The City of Whitehorse Disability Discrimination Act Action Plan has three major objectives.
- To provide ready access to all Council facilities regardless of ability.
- To improve communication between all Council staff and community members with a disability.
- To plan for the future in terms of infrastructure and planning requirements.
Manager Community Care, Sandra Hills, said this involves both immediate action and ongoing actions.
She said implementing such a plan is essential in a City like Whitehorse that has such a high number of older people.
To design and implement the plan, Council undertook an audit of all its facilities and services, and reviewed all policy and planning documents. Issues identified have been included as strategies in the Disability Discrimination Act Action Plan, and will be addressed incrementally.
These changes include providing information in a form accessible to all people; considering disabilities when formulating Council policy and service delivery; and developing planning guidelines which take account of various disabilities.
Sandra Hills said provision is being made to alter signage and other infrastructure accordingly, and to train staff to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities on an ongoing basis.
