Policy Submission: Inclusive and accessible communities

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Summary of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

That the National Disability Strategy be given a reboot, with a well-publicised five-year game plan from July 2017 to June 2022, and including a focus on the Strategy’s assertive leadership and reporting

Recommendation 2

That measures to test the effectiveness of the National Disability Strategy must be designed in ways that genuinely and directly connect to the lives of people living with disability who are less visible and/or ‘hard to reach’

Recommendation 3

That key components of the NDIS, such as the Specialist Disability Accommodation framework, be properly tested against the values and goals of the National Disability Strategy before any such components are implemented, to avoid the development of service structures (e.g. group homes) that by their nature hinder inclusion And that the mechanisms for such testing include the membership and perspective of people living with disability

Recommendation 4

That universal design principles be mandated, demanded, and satisfied, before any development of public space or built form is approved

Recommendation 5

That decision-making processes relating to the development or refit of built forms should include the membership and perspective of people living with disability

Recommendation 6

That the latter stages of the National Disability Strategy include an auditable focus on systemic reform in public transport so that all of Australia's public transport is genuinely accessible to the disability community

Recommendation 7

That an adequate provision for the costs of accessible taxis be included in the funding plans of those persons whose disability precludes the use of the available public transport in their area

Recommendation 8

That the Australian government champions the availability of mechanisms that make hardware, software and connectivity properly affordable to people living with disability on a low income, so that they can access online communities

Recommendation 9

That the National Disability Strategy be updated to include a specific innovation fund that targets hard-to-reach sections of the disability community

Recommendation 10

That the Australian government ensures there is a National Disability Strategy communications group, that such a group include the membership and perspective of people living with disability, and that such a group lead the development and maintenance of a dynamic public conversation about the imperatives and progress of the National Disability Strategy

Recommendation 11

That the National Disability Strategy be updated to insist that all Australian governments including local governments have auditable, authentic arrangements for identifying and resolving access issues in their jurisdictions

Recommendation 12

That the National Disability Strategy be updated to include a measurement framework that quantifies not only progress towards accessibility but also the impact in terms of the extent that people living with disability are taking up active valued membership in community life. And that the oversight of such a framework includes the membership and perspective of people living with disability in crafting the framework’s design, administration, data collection, data analysis, and reporting

Recommendation 13

That the National Disability Strategy Implementation Reference Group, or a similar new body, whichever has the strongest mandate, be reinstated to provide ongoing feedback and advice on the implementation and impact of the National Disability Strategy