The 3 December 2014, International Day of People with Disability, appropriately marks the commencement of the NSW Disability Inclusion Act (2014), which
promotes the rights of people with disability and commits the NSW Government to
making communities more inclusive and accessible for people with disability.
This significant legislation, which replaces the Disability Services Act (1993), has two
broad aims – one is to say how disability supports and services will be
provided in NSW during the move to the National Disability Insurance Scheme
(NDIS). The other is to make sure that even after NSW has moved to NDIS that
NSW is a place where people with disability can access mainstream services and
be fully included in the community.
“We’ve come a long way in the last few decades” says
Disability Council member Unis Goh, PSM “The many improvements have culminated
in the new Act, which recognises that people with disability have the same
rights as others.”
Unis also sees the Act as making a strong commitment to
inclusion. “The legislation gives us a vision of a civilised community with
inclusive neighbourhoods but also a framework for removing barriers affecting
people in everyday life.”
What this will mean is better access to mainstream services
and facilities and more opportunities for participation in the community. The
benefits will be far-reaching.
To ensure that inclusion becomes a reality, a whole-of-government,
four-year State Disability Inclusion Plan aims to improve access to mainstream
services.
Consistent with this plan, NSW Government departments, local
councils, and some other public authorities will develop disability inclusion
action plans to provide better access to their services to people with
disability. Planning must involve people with disability so that action is
practical and makes a real difference.
Don’t DIS my ABILITY Ambassador Matthew Hennig looks forward
to more accessible public buildings when councils develop disability inclusion
action plans under the new legislation.
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| Don’t DIS my ABILITY Ambassador Matthew Hennig |
For Matthew, it’s the simple things (for the rest of society
anyway) that count, like being able to use the front door at a restaurant or
club. Matthew must often use the back door because it’s the only one that is
wheelchair accessible. “It sticks my disability out there when that happens” he
says. Matthew holds a Building Access Appraisal Certificate and so takes a
professional as well as personal interest in accessibility.
Everyone interested is urged to get involved to make sure
these plans reflect what you need to live the life you want.
For further information on the Disability Inclusion Act,
including what it means for people with disability, their families and carers
as well as service providers, please visit www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/dia
