Life Without Barriers has applauded City of Newcastle’s recent decision to adopt a Disability Inclusion Action Plan to achieve an inclusive and accessible city for all.
The Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022-2026 (DIAP) was unanimously adopted by the newly elected Council on February 22, making City of Newcastle the first one in New South Wales to adopt a DIAP under the current legislation.
Domonic Freestone of Life Without Barriers said the DIAP played a vital role in ensuring that people living with a disability had increased community participation and inclusion opportunities.
“A more inclusive and accessible community allows those with disability opportunities for employment, social engagement and the ability to contribute meaningfully to society which has major impacts on self-worth and how others view us,” Freestone said.
Freestone, who lives with quadriplegia, said the action plan gave the community a voice and platform to help drive meaningful change over “tokenistic” disability projects.
“Often disability is pictured as wheelchair access, and little thought is given to disabilities like anxiety, vision impairment, sensory processing disorders, hearing impairment, and so many other ‘invisible’ disabilities,” Freestone said.
“Whether it be audio descriptions of artworks, low sensory sessions in public spaces and shopping centres or Auslan interpreters, there is always more that we can do as a community to strengthen participation and social inclusion.”
Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said addressing inclusion required a multi-faceted approach, but one of the most powerful places to start was increasing awareness and understanding of disability.
“The DIAP acts as a roadmap to guide City of Newcastle’s actions and establish strategies to ensure we create an inclusive community for all people who live, visit and work in Newcastle,” Cr Nelmes said.
“All people have the right to be treated with dignity and respect and have equal access to social, recreational, educational, economic and employment opportunities.
“Community attitudes and behaviours can have a significant impact on the lives of people with a disability – it is up to all of us to ensure that impact is a positive one.”
Actions and strategies presented in the DIAP are categorised within four focus areas, which include developing positive community attitudes and behaviours; creating liveable communities; supporting access to meaningful employment and improving access to mainstream services through better systems and processes.
“DIAP not only benefits those living with disability, but they help us as a community to grow and understand each other,” Freestone said.
“Social isolation, disconnecting from the community and reduced self-worth have gone hand in hand with disability for too long.
Among the 35 key actions to be carried out under the DIAP, a commitment to leading by example with public programming is included.
“We’re already working towards this through our cultural facilities, where we deliver public programming that is not only accessible and inclusive but also reflects the diversity of disabilities in our community,” Cr Nelmes said.
“Examples of this include the low sensory sessions at Newcastle Museum developed in consultation with Autism Awareness Australia, and last year’s Sea, Space & Beyond exhibition at the Museum in partnership with Vision Australia, which featured artworks created by the blind, low vision and sighted communities.
“The month-long Count Us In program was also established as an action of the previous DIAP, and included disability awareness training, cultural and arts events, inclusive sports and games, and a range of other events to highlight inclusion.”
Cr Nelmes said City of Newcastle was currently in the process of finalising a grants program for the festival, which will help empower the community to deliver this year’s event.
“By keeping disability front of mind and on people’s agenda, we can challenge the community dialogue to enhance positive attitudes and behaviours towards disability,” she said.
Maia O’Connor