Camden's Disability Action Plan 2003-2007

Council is committed to enhancing and building the wellbeing of its community, and acknowledges that this is vital for long-term sustainability. The Disability Action Plan (DAP) is consistent with the principles of Council’s Community Wellbeing Policy and provides a key document in ensuring accessible and equitable services and facilities are provided by Council to Camden’s citizens.

The DAP was endorsed by Council on 22 September 2003. The DAP assists Council to identify and remove barriers in policies, programs and services for people with a disability, enabling Council to meet its obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act and the Building Code of Australia.

The DAP includes a range of strategies to remove as far as possible barriers for people with a disability to access services, facilities or information that Council provides. Identified access improvements in the DAP were prioritised under four categories, Very High, High, Medium and Low, each priority allocated a timeframe for completion.

Update on the Disability Action Plan

2003/04 Financial Year
A total of fifteen (15) key strategies were identified to be undertaken in the year ending June 2004, including on-going activities. These strategies focused primarily on:

  • improving physical access within Council buildings;
  • implementing the findings of the Pedestrian Access Mobility Plans (PAMPS);
  • reviewing and identifying opportunities to extend disability parking provisions;
  • ensuring appropriate planning policies and instruments are in place;
  • provision of appropriate housing choices;
  • provision of accessible information about Council services and activities;
  • accessible commercial precincts;
  • improving road safety for people with a disability;
  • increasing library services providing services for people with a disability through alternate formats;
  • development of Consultation and Communication mechanisms; and
  • providing staff with information and appropriate training to raise awareness of disability issues.

Since September 2003, twenty eight (28) access improvements identified as Very High Priority have been completed under the recommendations of the DAP. The access improvements are detailed in the following table.

Table 1: Access improvements completed in the 2003/2004 financial year, as identified in the DAP

Additional access improvements were made within Council’s Services and Programs in the 2003/2004 financial year. The additional improvements identified and work undertaken during this period are detailed in the table below:

Table 3: Additional access improvements made within Council’s Services and Programs in the 2003/2004 financial year

2004/05 Financial Year


Priority works have been planned for the 2004/05 financial year for Council facilities and parks where improvements have been identified as required through the DAP. The following table outlines the priority works planned for the 2004/05 financial year:

Table 2: Priority works planned for the 2004/2005 financial year

Other strategies to be implemented in 2004/05 include:

  • investigation of options for adaptable housing;
  • development of a checklist for designing playgrounds and reserves;
  • reviewing recruitment practices;
  • reviewing the accessibility of Council’s website;
  • provision of disability awareness training to staff;
  • production of Council documents in accessible formats; and
  • increased promotion of the DAP’s progress.

Community Information

Service providers and residents can find further information on the Disability Action Plan through:

  • Council website - a full copy of the DAP is available by clicking the links below;
  • Council website for regular updates;
  • phoning Community Planning and Development on (02) 4645 5023 to obtain a hard copy or CD-rom version of the DAP;
  • the Community Services newsletter and Lets Connect community newsletter for regular updates;
  • Council’s Annual Report.

To raise a disability access issue with Council, please contact Customer Service on (02) 4654 7777. The matter will be referred to the relevant Council department for investigation and action.

For any further information on the DAP, please contact Angela Lonergan, Community Planning and Development, on (02) 4645 5023.

Disability Action Plan  

A hardcopy of the Disability Action Plan has been broken down into sections below to enable electronic viewing

Contents

7.1 Process Undertaken
7.2 PAMP

7.3 Maps Camden LGA Suburbs

Facilities, Parks, Reserves and those audited

 

 

7.4 Access Audit Results
7.5 Risk Score Calculator
7.6 Community Advisory Group

7.7 Disability Discrimination Act-Definition of Disability

The Disability Discrimination Act defines a disability as the presence of physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological, physical disfigurement or the presence in the body of an organism capable of causing disease such as HIV/AIDS.

The definition also includes a disability that presently exists, previously existed but no longer exists, e.g. a person who had a heart attack, a person with a genetic predisposition and is imputed to a person, e.g. assuming that a person living with a infectious disease has the disease. (Disability Discrimination Act, 1992)

7.8 References

Disability Discrimination Act 1992

Disability Network 1998

Hauritz and Others, ‘Justice for People with Disabilities’ 1998

[1]Wills, J. (2001) Just, Vibrant and Sustainable Communities: A Framework for Progressing and Measuring Community Wellbeing.Local Government Community Services Association of Australia, Townsville.

7.9 Staff Survey Results