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City of Kingston

Disability Action Plan Consultation Report December, 2013 V1.0

developed by

Abbreviations

Council - City of Kingston

DAP - Disability Action Plan

DDA - Disability Discrimination Act

IATA - Institute of Access Training Australia

Contents

1.0 Introduction........................................................................................................1

2.0 Aims of the Consultation...................................................................................1

3.0 Consultation Methodology.................................................................................2

3.1 Development of the community consultation plan and consultation questions..2

3.2 Development and implementation of consultation methods..............................3

3.2.1 Survey – Online and other formats.............................................................3

3.2.2 Disability service organisations and client feedback meetings....................3

3.2.3 Staff, Access and Equity Advisory Committee and Disability Sub-Committee Consultation.......................................................................................5

3.2.4 Other community feedback.........................................................................6

4.0 Analysis and Feedback....................................................................................6

4.1 What Kingston is doing well...........................................................................7

4.1.2 Relationships with local networks and support organisations.....................7

4.1.3 Direct service support.................................................................................7

4.1.4 Provision of accessible and inclusive facilities and buildings......................7

4.1.5 Opportunities for participation.....................................................................8

4.2 Barriers and areas for improvement...............................................................8

4.2.1 The built environment.................................................................................9

4.2.2 Participation opportunities...........................................................................9

4.2.3 Service provision.......................................................................................10

4.2.4 Information and communication................................................................10

4.2.5 Advocacy and facilitation...........................................................................11

4.2.6 Corporate Culture.....................................................................................11

5.0 Key Outcomes and Actions.............................................................................12

6.0 Conclusion.......................................................................................................13

7.0 List of Attachments..........................................................................................13

8.0 Disclaimer........................................................................................................13

IATA Project team for this project incorporated:

IATA Director - Ms. Joe Manton Senior Community Engagement Facilitator - Ms. Nicole Maslin Community Engagement Facilitator and Trainer - Mr. Lucas Wheeler

Institute of Access Training AustraliaCity of Kingston – Community Consultation Report

Disability Action Plan (DAP) V1.0 2013…………………………………………………………………………………………………

1.0 Introduction

Kingston Council is currently in the process of updating its Disability Action Plan (DAP), to continue to address disability and other access and inclusion issues across all areas of the organisation’s operations, and to support it in meeting its requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and other relevant legislation. The DAP will continue to support Kingston Council in removing existing or potential barriers and provide equity of access to premises, services, programs, information, communication and employment processes and systems.

A key component of the DAP update, is consultation and engagement with staff, community members, disability support organisations and other relevant stakeholders, to assist in identifying access barriers and issues, as well as opportunities and potential priorities for access and inclusion improvement action.

Kingston Council’s commitment to a thorough consultation process has enabled opportunities for genuine engagement with a broad range of stakeholders.

This consultation has been facilitated by the Institute of Access Training Australia (IATA), an organisation that has extensive experience in the facilitation, consultation and successful development of DAPs with a wide range of organisations.

In addition, IATA was engaged to develop a report incorporating the feedback and data, as well as commentary and analysis of consultation outcomes and findings.

This Consultation Report has been developed based on the outcomes of the consultation process and will assist Council in understanding the extent and feedback from the consultative process. It will assist Council in informing the development of the new DAP and key areas for action that will need to be addressed.

2.0 Aims of the Consultation

The purpose of the consultation was to ascertain community and stakeholder views on how Council can work to improve the lives of people with disability in Kingston to inform the redevelopment of Kingston Council’s Disability Action Plan.

The consultation aimed to ascertain community and stakeholder views on how Council can:

1. Improve outcomes for people with a disability in employment, education, justice, housing, health and civic processes;

2. Include people with disability in everyday activities by improving access to information, transport, buildings, places and un/planned activity;

Institute of Access Training Australia Website Link December 2013 V1.01



3. Support the reform of the disability system to provide more opportunities for independence, choice and control, better targeted and integrated services, and better supported families and carers; and

4. Explore any other issues affecting people with a disability and how they might be improved.

The consultation provided a range of accessible opportunities for stakeholders to be involved and engaged in the consultation process in a way that was most suitable to them. Specifically, the consultation aimed to engage:

people with disabilities; carers of people with disabilities; service organisations and groups that support both people with a disability

and their carers; Kingston Council staff – Managers, Team Leaders and Co-ordinators; relevant internal groups and committees (Access and Equity Committee and

Disability Sub-committee); and general community members.

In consulting with these stakeholders, the aim was to gather and document a broad range of views, experiences, challenges, issues and opportunities in relation to access and inclusion for people with disability, relating to Kingston Council.

3.0 Consultation Methodology

The following outlines the consultation methodology utilised throughout the consultation process.

3.1 Development of the community consultation plan and consultation questions

A meeting was held with IATA and the DAP Project Team to discuss specific requirements of the consultation process and to determine and agree on the most appropriate consultation methodology. This was critical to ensure that key stakeholders could be identified and engaged in the process, in a way that best suited their needs. Once the key stakeholders were identified, it was confirmed that a number of consultation methods should be made available to enable flexibility, choice and options for those wishing to be involved. As this included people with a range of disabilities and other access challenges, it was imperative to make the process as accessible as possible.




3.2 Development and implementation of consultation methods

The following key consultation methods were utilised:

3.2.1 Survey – Online and other formats

Target group – general community, key local disability support organisations and key contacts.

A survey was developed to gather feedback relating to people’s experiences of accessing Council’s facilities, programs and information. It also asked people to nominate if they identified as having a disability or if they were a carer of a person with a disability, to assist with identification of any specific issues and challenges. The opportunity to provide comments and ideas relating to what Council could do to improve access and inclusion for people with a disability was also incorporated in the survey. Detailed results of the survey can be found in Attachment 2 of this report.

The survey was available online in MS Word and PDF formats, and hard copies were also made available.

The survey was open for people to complete from the 14th October, 2013 to the 22nd November, 2013.

3.2.2 Disability service organisations and client feedback meetings

Target Group – key local disability organisations and clients.

Successfully engaging with disability support organisations in the City of Kingston was an important component of the consultation process. These organisations have first-hand experiences and views of disability, access and inclusion in the Kingston community.

IATA was provided with a list of local disability organisations from Council to contact directly, by phone initially to:

introduce IATA as the team facilitating consultation; advise that their organisation or specific contact was provided by Council as

an organisation that may wish to provide some feedback, including experiences, or suggestions that can be considered as part of the consultation;

discuss development of a new DAP and Council’s commitment to ensuring that people have the opportunity to participate;

discuss the most suitable method for communication, e.g. face-to-face meeting, telephone discussion or via email; and

discuss the potential for consultation with the organisations client group.




Making contact with representatives of some of these organisations by phone was difficult, as they were often working in the community and were generally not located in an office for long periods of time. Many asked for details to be forwarded by email and also requested that the types of questions or information being sought also be provided to them by email.

To respond to this, a ‘Service Group’ feedback form was developed to enable the contacts to understand the type of information being sought, and provide the option to complete the form or discuss with IATA over the phone. A copy of this form is provided as Attachment 3. Four service group contacts responded to this form. A summary of the feedback received is provided in Attachment 2 of this report. The email below was sent to organisations with the ‘Service Group’ feedback form.

Sample email correspondence to disability support organisations contacts

Hello, my name is <Name> from the Institute of Access Training Australia. We are currently working with the City of Kingston to assist with facilitating consultation for the review of Council’s Disability Action Plan. We are facilitating a number of community consultations to assist in reviewing this plan. This will assist with identifying any barriers to access and inclusion and also to gather suggestions for improvements to Council services, facilities, communication and employment systems.

Your name has been provided to us by Council, as an organisation that may wish to provide some feedback, including experiences or suggestions that can be considered as part of the consultation and review.

If you are happy to do this, what would be the most suitable method to communicate with you? e.g. face-to-face meeting, telephone discussion or via email?

Do you have a client group that may like to meet with us?

If you could please advise your preference via email or phone by Friday 18th October, it would be appreciated and we can then make arrangements to consult with you.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Feedback from disability support organisations and clients

Council utilised existing relationships with service providers to engage their participation in the consultation. IATA was then able to organise consultations with five organisations. The consultations were conducted at a time, venue and date of the organisations’ choice. The meetings were incorporated into an existing activity of the client group when possible to maximise attendance. Each of these consultation meetings incorporated people with a range of disabilities, as well as service providers and/or carers.

In conducting each of these consultation meetings IATA ensured that:

participants felt comfortable and had fun if possible; the communication challenges of people in the group were understood and

communication strategies were utilised to facilitate effective participation e.g. easy English was utilised, encouragement of participation, time was allowed for individual engagement, carers were utilised to provide support where necessary; and




a range of strategies were adopted to stimulate effective discussions and gain valuable input.

Consultation meeting format

The consultation meetings were facilitated by IATA. The following general questions were used to guide the discussion and elicit feedback from participants in each session:

Welcome and Introductions – what are we here for? What do you enjoy or like doing in the local community? Is there anything that

Council is doing or has done that assists you in your life or activities? What, if any, barriers or difficulties do you have in accessing Council’s

services, facilities, communication or employment? Is anything hard? What could Council do to remove these barriers? What sort of activities or

other things could Council do to assist you to be involved in the community?

The feedback and commentary was recorded, collated and summarised under each key question. Feedback from these meetings is provided in Attachment 2 of this report.

3.2.3 Staff, Access and Equity Advisory Committee and Disability Sub-Committee Consultation

3.2.3.1. Staff Workshop

Given the DAPs organisational approach to access and inclusion, it was important that Council staff had the opportunity to reflect on, and provide input, in relation to issues and future priorities. The staff consultative workshop was organised by Council and attended by 16 staff from across the organisation. The format of the workshop was as follows:

Introduction and Welcome; What has Council done to improve access for everybody? What are the barriers to accessing Council’s services, facilities,

communication or employment? What could Council do to remove these barriers? Suggestions for action?

The workshop was facilitated by two IATA facilitators and feedback was recorded and summarised under the three key questions. Auslan interpreters were utilised during this workshop.




Attendance by Council staff was voluntary and there were a few key departments not at the staff consultation. They were contacted post workshop, and their feedback was incorporated into the staff workshop feedback. A summary of the feedback from the staff workshop is provided in Attachment 2 of this report.

3.2.3.2 Council Access and Equity Advisory Committee

The Council Access and Equity Advisory Committee supports Aboriginal people, people with a disability, and people from multicultural backgrounds. The Committee works toward a sustainable, equal and more inclusive community.

The DAP consultation was included as an agenda item at the 10th October 2013 meeting of the Access and Equity Advisory Committee. The group discussed what was currently working to improve access and equity and what could be further improved. Outcomes of the meeting were documented in the meeting minutes.

3.2.3.3 Council Disability Sub-Committee

A sub-committee of the Access and Equity Advisory Committee focuses on access and inclusion issues for people with disability. A consultative workshop was facilitated by IATA with this sub-committee. It was attended by fourteen members.

The key questions addressed by this group were generally the same as for the staff workshop. Auslan interpreters were also utilised in this workshop. Feedback from this sub-committee is provided in Attachment 4 of this report.

3.2.4 Other community feedback

As previously indicated, the consultation process encouraged feedback through a range of processes. The availability of Council and IATA to meet and communicate with any members of the community, through any suitable means, was consistently promoted. An email incorporating feedback was received by Council from Achmore Lodge – Residential Aged Care. This is provided in Attachment 2.

Once all consultation and feedback had been undertaken, collated and finalised, it was documented under each of the key processes to assist with analysis and the identification of key themes arising.

For detailed information on the Feedback, Information and Data Collected from the Consultation see Attachment 2.

4.0 Analysis and Feedback

The following provides commentary on the findings from the consultation and identifies some key themes and areas that have been identified most consistently throughout the process.




4.1 What Kingston is doing well

There is recognition and appreciation by staff and community of the access and inclusion initiatives that Council has already undertaken or facilitated, in particular these have included:

4.1.2 Relationships with local networks and support organisations

The value of relationships developed between Council and the service and community organisations that support people with a disability in Kingston (and the broader region) was acknowledged. These relationships have facilitated program partnerships, joint promotions, marketing of services, identification of barriers and opportunities, and generally raised awareness of local disability issues. This has largely been supported by the Council, who work directly with the relevant groups as well as Council’s Access and Equity Advisory Committee and Disability Sub-committee.

4.1.3 Direct service support

Many people consulted recognised the support services that Council provides or co-ordinates, to assist them in their daily life. These services include:

domestic care; personal care; respite care; delivered meals; home maintenance ; transport; vacation care programs; and family, youth and children’s services.

The helpfulness and care of Council staff was also identified in providing these services and support.

4.1.4 Provision of accessible and inclusive facilities and buildings

There were a number of people who identified particular facilities and praised their accessibility, or a feature that was important to them in terms of access and participation. It was not unusual to get both praise for some of Council’s facilities as well as identification of issues, however, on the whole there was positive acknowledgement of the following:

Bicentennial Park and the Liberty Swing; Council’s library facilities and the in-home and mobile services available; Waves Leisure Centre and the availability of hoist access to pool;




access audits undertaken for key Council buildings and prioritising of works to ensure buildings meet required standards.

4.1.5 Opportunities for participation

Most of the community members who contributed to the survey, identified the value of participation in a range of activities. They like doing ‘things’, so it is no surprise that initiatives that support active involvement and inclusion in activities were highlighted as very positive. These included:

the ‘Presentation Ball’ held every 2 years for people with disabilities; provision of African Drumming group at Central Bayside Community Adult

Options; ‘Dance Fever’ classes conducted by Council; opportunity to participate in Victorian Advocacy League for Individuals with a

Disability (VALID); opportunity to participate in arts and culture activities and attend festivals and

events, for example, arts access events; and opportunity to attend leisure and recreation programs and access both

inclusive programs and targeted group sessions:

o inclusive swimming program at Waves Leisure Centreo involvement in foreshore planting days.

Related to the ability to participate, is the ability to access information that informs the ‘right’ people about what the opportunities to participate are. Once again, there were mixed views as to how well Council does this, but there were some consistently positive comments about the Council information and communication systems. In particular:

recognition of the upgrades to website; the flow of information between Council and the service organisations that are

supported through networking, committees and partnering in program delivery; and

Council’s newsletter as a good source of information.

4.2 Barriers and areas for improvement

Once again, barriers and areas for improvement have been grouped into key areas (similar to those that are used in the current DAP) to demonstrate the more consistently identified issues from consultation.




4.2.1 The built environment

Nearly half of the people we spoke with in the consultations had a physical disability and were utilising wheelchairs and other mobility aids, therefore it was very helpful to the process to hear their first-hand experiences of physical access barriers. The issues that were more frequently identified included:

public toilets – lack of accessible, clean and well-maintained public toilets including those with adult change and hoist facilities.

accessible car parking: o limited availability in key locations; o incorrectly designed;o abuse by people who are not permitted to utilise them; ando lack of temporary parking at events and festivals.

Continuous Accessible Paths of Travel (CAPT):o uneven footpaths that are poorly maintained;o inaccessible kerb ramps and gutters; o lack of safe pedestrian refuges on traffic islands to accommodate

wheelchairs and scooters; o missing links between buildings, pathways, car parks and

accessible parking; o poorly designed, located or installed tactile ground surface

indicators; ando lack of beach access and accessible pathways along foreshores.

Council buildings: o issues with the CAPT from Waves Leisure Centre entrance to car park; o lack of family accessible change facilities at Waves Leisure Centre; o inadequate drop-off area at Waves Leisure Centre; o lack of ramp or entry to Council pools; o lack of CAPT and missing links between Scope Don Tatnell and Walter

Galt Reserve;o access issues with lift at Scope Don Tatnell; ando inaccessibility of some areas of Council office buildings, i.e. lack of

accessible toilet and ramp entry at Youth Services.

4.2.2 Participation opportunities

Many of the issues pertaining to access and participation in programs relate to availability, cost and appropriateness for the particular group or individual. The consultation highlighted there is a need for inclusive approaches and participation,




as well as facilitating direct service and support for agencies and networks to support their clients and their individual needs. The issues raised more frequently were:

lack of age-appropriate leisure, sports, arts and cultural activities for people with a disability – more activities that are affordable and local are needed;

lack of general social activities for young adult people with a disability to interact and socialise, for example, discos and nightclubs;

lack of funds and capacity to visit city and other Melbourne and country Victorian places of interest;

lack of local kitchen facilities to accommodate growing demand for group cooking and catering classes for people with a disability;

lack of volunteer opportunities for people with a disability; and lack of transport options to festivals and events.

4.2.3 Service provision

Many people who were consulted rely on Council for some level of service, or look to Council to facilitate or advocate for improved services on their behalf. Some of the more frequently identified issues were:

lack of access to respite support services due to availability, criteria, funding; financial constraints and competing priorities of Council, affecting the capacity

to deliver the increase for service demands; lack of capacity to support children with high and complex needs; lack of opportunity for people with a disability to access local work-based

training and employment initiatives and programs; lack of training and support for carers of people with a disability; lack of respite services to support carers of people with a disability; and lack of affordable community transport options.

4.2.4 Information and communication

Access to information is critical, and was highlighted frequently throughout the consultation. Information assists people to make informed decisions, assess options and make a choice. Accessible information to the right people in the right formats were the key messages raised in the consultation. Specific issues raised, included:

lack of staff awareness about what communication supports are available to assist them in their role – this includes training in use of supports, and where to refer to for further information and advice;

lack of awareness about all the programs and initiatives Council is providing that are targeted at people with a disability – finding the information is sometimes difficult;

challenge of working out what is the best way to get the information to the right people;




access issues with website, use of PDF and lack of alternate text, some parts of website difficult to navigate;

challenges of access consistency with the decentralised function for preparing and editing information for Council website; and

lack of style or communication guide to support staff in accessible approaches, both online and written.

4.2.5 Advocacy and facilitation

The consultation encouraged the identification of all access issues and opportunities, regardless of whether they were a direct Council responsibility or not. Consequently, some of the issues raised are the responsibility of other key stakeholders, like Vic Roads, Vic Trak, private bus companies, private businesses and state and federal government departments. Council’s role in addressing these issues will most likely be that of advocacy and facilitator. The key issues identified were:

lack of frequency of buses on key routes; lack of accessible parking at Southland; access issues at local railway stations:

o steep ramps;o safe crossings; o ramp entry to trains;

lack of safe and accessible pedestrian refuges on main roads; lack of access to some shops, created by step-only entry to premises; access issues with footpath trading in some locations; lack of local employment opportunities and work-based skills training for

people with a disability; lack of awareness of the value of employing people with a disability; and limitations of the availability and frequency of respite and support for carers.

4.2.6 Corporate Culture

The people and culture of Council will drive the success of an organisational approach to access, therefore identification of any barriers or opportunities in this area was important in the process. Most of the more frequent feedback in this section is drawn from the Council staff, which includes:

lack of opportunity for people with a disability to be employed, trained or volunteer at Council;

lack of skills by some staff in communicating with people with a disability, and awareness of what supports are available;

lack of both specialised and general access awareness training, including induction for staff and Councillors; and

challenge of equipping staff with the right tools to support accessible and inclusive approaches.




5.0 Key Outcomes and Actions

In consulting with these groups and individuals, the aim was to gather a broad range of views, experiences, challenges, issues and opportunities in relation to access and inclusion for people with disability in the Kingston community. This report provides these details and the common areas and themes, which can be used to identify areas for action to be addressed in the new DAP. Based on this consultation feedback, IATA suggests the following key actions be considered, under each of the following areas:

5.2.1 Built Environment

addressing access issues and improvements at Waves Leisure Centre and Scope Don Tatnell;

continuing with implementing access priorities in Council buildings; continue to improve beach, playground and foreshore access.

5.2.2 Information and Communication

continue with improvements to Council website – undertake formal assessment for WC3 compliance;

review style and communication guides, and any other relevant supports and information to assist staff in providing accessible and inclusive approaches to communication;

review how Council promotes its programs and services to people with a disability.

5.2.3 Corporate Culture

develop partnerships with local disability employee and training agencies to facilitate opportunities at Council;

facilitate potential partnerships with local employees and enterprises, to support training volunteer and employment opportunities in the community;

review staff training for disability and access awareness to ensure that sufficient opportunities are provided, including at induction.

5.2.4 Services and Support

continue to support the networking and partnerships between Council and disability groups and organizations;




explore options to increase respite services and support for carers; explore capacity to increase support for children with high and complex needs identify Council and community opportunities for volunteer services and

programs for people with a disability.

5.2.5 Programs and Activities

explore options of increased program development and delivery in arts, culture, recreation and leisure;

explore options for more social-based programs; continue to deliver and develop programs in a partnership with local networks

and service providers; increase promotion of what activities and programs are available.

5.2.6 Advocate

continue to advocate with key stakeholders for services and support at Kingston, and identify key priorities and relevant departments to engage with;

o for example, access issues at train stations;o Federal government – National Disability Insurance scheme;

explore options to support local businesses and to address any physical access barriers to their business.

6.0 Conclusion

Staff, community, carers, service providers and people with disabilities have been engaged throughout the consultation process for the development of Council’s DAP. The consultation has built a solid foundation for ongoing engagement in the DAP’s implementation. As confirmed in the consultation, Council has already demonstrated a positive commitment to access and inclusion through a number of its programs, services, facilities, information and employment processes.

Council can be confident that if the outcomes of this DAP consultation are incorporated, the new DAP will further build on this success to further address access and inclusion for people with disability across all areas of the organisation.

7.0 List of Attachments

Attachment 1 - Community Survey

Attachment 2 - Feedback, Information and Data Collected

Attachment 3 – Community and Service Group feedback form




8.0 Disclaimer

This consultation report has been prepared by the Institute of Access Training Australia (IATA).

While due care has been taken by IATA in undertaking the consultations associated with this report and developing this report, IATA does not accept responsibility or liability for the results of specific action taken on the basis of information contained in this report nor for any errors or omissions.

The comments and recommendations contained herein provide some examples of a range of initiatives that could support improved access to people with disabilities. There may be many other initiatives that will also support access improvements. Consideration should be given to any other conditions or situations not specifically identified in this report in order to ensure an effective Disability Action Plan is developed and implemented by the City of Kingston.

All actions taken by a public authority, organisation or individual in reliance on this or associated reports remain the responsibility of that public authority, organisation or individual.


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