2. What is a Disability Inclusion Action Plan?

A Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) outlines the practical steps put in place by an organisation to break down barriers for people with disability and promote access to services, information, employment, and the rights of people with disability.

There are four key focus areas in the DIAP:

„ To foster positive community attitudes and behaviours.

„ Increase the liveability of our communities.

„ Improve access to meaningful employment for people with disability.

„ Improve access to services, systems and processes.

Council is mandated to deliver a DIAP every four years by the Disability Inclusion Act 2014. DIAPs play a critical role in promoting the ethos of inclusion and provide the practical measures by which intent is transformed into action.

The social model of disability, outlined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) states:

People with disability are not disabled by their impairment but by the barriers in the community that prevent them gaining equal access to information, services, transport, housing, education, training, employment, and social opportunities.

The Disability Inclusion Act 2014 defines disability as:

‘The long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment which in interaction with various barriers may hinder the full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.’