DIAP Consultation
Council are developing a new Disability Inclusion Action Plan for the Central Coast.
The purpose of the Disability Inclusion Action Plan is to outline the actions Council will take to remove barriers and improve access for people with disability so they can participate in all areas of community life.
Councils existing plan expired in July 2021.
Community consultation
Between 7 August and 30 September 2020 Council undertook community consultation to find out what the priorities of the DIAP should be and what Council can do to make life easier for people with disabilities on the Central Coast.
During the consultation, the community were invited to:
- Complete the online survey as either a community member or person working in the disability sector
- Participate in an online forum
All of the information collected during the consultation has been used to inform the development of the new Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
Accessible Documents
Document Library
Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2017-2021
Survey
Timeline
Frequently asked questions
Why does Council need a new Disability Inclusion Action Plan?
Public authorities, including Councils, are required to have a Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) under the Disability Inclusion Act 2014. Central Coast Council’s current Disability Inclusion Action Plan ends in June 2021, so we need to have a new plan ready to start in July 2021.
The DIAP sets out what Council will do to remove barriers and improve access for people with disability so they can participate in all areas of community life
How has the DIAP action plan been developed?
The action plan has been informed by listening to people with disabilities, their families and carers and the disability sector on the Central Coast. Council’s Access and Inclusion Reference Group also provided guidance during the development of this plan. Research on ‘best practice’ in disability inclusion in Australia and internationally was also conducted.
The NSW Government is reviewing the Disability Inclusion Act 2014. What does this mean for the new DIAP?
The NSW Government is recommending that Councils move ahead with their DIAP consultations while the Act is being reviewed. If the Disability Inclusion Act 2014 is changed, Council will make any changes that are required.
DIAP Public Exhibition
Following extensive community consultation a Draft Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) was developed and placed on exhibition.
The Draft Plan sets out what Council will do over the next four years to make the Central Coast more accessible and inclusive. This Plan will assist in ensuring that people with a disability can access the same services and supports that the rest of the community can access.
The vision for the Plan is “An accessible and inclusive place to live, visit, work and play” and it has 4 focus areas:
- Increasing positive attitudes and behaviours towards people with disability
- Making the Coast more accessible, liveable and inclusive
- Increasing meaningful employment for people with disability
- Improving access to Council services through better systems and processes
The draft Plan is based on what people with disabilities, their families and carers told us, as well as people who work in the disability sector and Council’s Access and Inclusion Reference Group. It is still important to ensure that we have got in right.
Submissions were to be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Mr David Farmer between 16 August and 13 September 2021 via email, post or by completing the online submission form.
There were a number of ways you could view the draft DIAP including:
- Reading the full draft document available in the document library
- Viewing the easy read version
- Watching the Auslan video summary prepared for the draft DIAP:
The Disability Inclusion Action Plan was adopted at the meeting of Council on the 26 October 2021, visit Councils main website to view the adopted plan.
Something you need to know: Under the Government Information (Public Access) Act, 2009 (GIPA ACT), members of the public can seek access to the submissions and council cannot give assurance that the document will remain confidential.
Basic Documents
Segmented Documents
Timeline
Who's listening
Why has Council prepared a new Disability Inclusion Action Plan?
Under the Disability Inclusion Act 2014, all Councils are required to have a plan in place to show what they will do to make sure that mainstream services are available to people with disability. Council’s current Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2017 – 2021 ends at 30 June 2021, so we need a new plan to replace it.
About 1 in 5 people have some form of disability and the likelihood of disability increases as we age. We want to make the Central Coast accessible and inclusive for everyone. The Draft Plan will help us to achieve that.
How many people with disability live on the Central Coast?
- 61,000 people with disability are living on the Central Coast (1 in 5 people).
- 22,000 people on the Central Coast need help with day to day living due to disability.
- 33,600 people provide unpaid care for someone due to disability, long term illness or old age.
What does ‘accessible’ and ‘inclusive’ mean?
‘Accessible’ means that something is easy to access for everyone. It can mean easy to get to or get around, or easy to use or understand.
‘Inclusive’ means that everyone can be involved, or everyone is included.
If a place or event is accessible and inclusive, then it is made to be easy for everyone to use and everyone is invited to get involved.
Were people with lived experience of disability involved in the plan?
Yes! Council invited people with disability, family members and carers to fill in a survey or join an online forum. We also had targeted discussions with people with disability to make sure we heard from a range of groups, as well as people working in the disability sector.
Council’s Access and Inclusion Reference Group is made up of people with lived experience of disability and sector workers. This group helped Council by reviewing the surveys, advising on accessibility, assisting to develop the actions and reviewing the draft plan.
We are now asking people with disability, people working in the disability sector and the rest of the community to give us feedback on the draft plan.
How can I get involved?
Between 16 August and 13 September the community were invited to fill in the online submission form which is now closed. If an alternative solution for providing a submission was required, the community could contact us to discuss an option that was best suited.