Knox City Council has become only the second Victorian Council to make ratepayer information available in audio format for people who cannot read standard print. Council now has its quarterly newsletter Horizons available on CD, as well as information on waste and recycling services and rates.
Braille versions are also available on request. The information is available at no charge.
Vision Australia Foundation has applauded Council’s commitment, and hopes others will see the need to make information on their services available in formats such as audio and braille.
The information assists people who cannot read standard print due to blindness, partial sight loss, physical disabilities such as arthritis, and poor literacy.
With the help of Vision Australia, Knox City Council is also reviewing its web site to ensure that it is accessible for people with disabilities, particularly sight loss. Many blind or vision impaired people use screen reading software that reads out electronic type, however the software is useless if the web site is not compatible.
Vision Australia will train Council staff in how to recognise sensory loss such as vision and hearing impairment, and techniques to assist these residents.
A spokesman for Vision Australia, Tony Clark, said Council’s comprehensive approach to accessibility reflected a genuine commitment to people in the Municipality.
“As our population ages, there is a growing number of people who cannot read standard print information,” he said.
“These people still require Council services; in many cases their need for services actually increases, and of course they still have to pay their rates.”
One in four people over 70 years of age have sight loss, and this is likely to be accompanied by hearing loss and other disabilities such as arthritis.
Nearly 7,500 people living in Knox were aged over 70 years, according to the 1996 census. The Department of Infrastructure in its Victoria in Future report predicts this number will grow steadily over the next decade.
“We hope Knox’s commitment to people with vision loss and other disabilities will be followed by municipalities all over Australia,” Tony Clark said.
For further information contact Michelle Atkinson, Public Relations Manager, telephone (03) 9599 5030.
