Progress against our Disability Action Plan

The Disability Access Action Plan is a legislative requirement according to the Disability Act 2006 and is developed to identify actions to remove barriers for people with a disability and ensure that access and inclusion principles are considered in all responsibilities, activities and services of the council. During the 2021-2022 year, Wodonga Council undertook the following activities.

KEY PROJECTS

• Jointly with AlburyCity, the councils’ access groups organised an online event which include a panel discussion with people that have lived experience of disability, live music by a local performer for International Day of People with

Disabilities (Nov 2021). • In collaboration with Wodonga TAFE, the council researched and explored the Hidden

Sunflower Disability Program and developed an implementation proposal. • The accessibility advisory group was consulted on the Albury Wodonga Integrated Transport

Strategy and provided the opportunity to fill in an online survey with assistance from officers. • New members joined the accessibility advisory group through a public expression of interest process.

ONGOING

• Continuing support for the Wodonga accessibility advisory group to strengthen council’s ability to identify and respond to accessibility issues. • Annual joint AlburyCity and Wodonga Council accessibility advisory group meeting featuring a guest speaker. • Continue to comply with Australian and Building

Regulations • Provide video captioning when posting videos in online channels • Implement local law requirements regarding access on High St in CBA with regards to tables and chair placement. • Wheelchair accessibility and service dogs welcome at the council’s arts and cultural venues. • The Cube Wodonga is an affiliate and operates under the Companion Card Scheme terms and conditions. • Hearing Loop and assistive hearing is available in council’s key cultural venues The Cube Wodonga and Hyphen – Wodonga Library Gallery. • Special needs seating is available at The Cube

Wodonga including designated areas which allow people in wheelchairs or with walkers to sit beside their companions within the seating bank or to the side of seating bank with all access being flat floor. • Recruitment processes support diversity and inclusion, which is further complemented by induction processes and internal training programs. Modifications are made to recruitment processes when required to accommodate disability. • The council’s pre-employment screening process is not purely a determination of suitability (or not) for a role based on a candidate’s ability to meet the inherent requirements of a position, it also considers and allows us to safely on-board a candidate who may require workplace and/ or duty modifications based on their individual needs (which can include a disability). The preemployment screening creates an opportunity to assess a candidate against the role and mutually consider a successful and safe appointment. • Onsite health and wellbeing early intervention provides an opportunity to review and consider workplace and/or duty modifications based on an individual’s physical or psychological needs. The onsite, independent consultants, can provide support and guidance for the worker and the organisation on mutually suitable accommodations, as required. • A range of training as well as health and wellbeing initiatives are aimed at destigmatising differences between peers, both physical and psychological. This has created a more psychologically safe workplace whereby staff are comfortable to raise concerns.