People with disability have welcomed the City of Armadale’s first new disability access and inclusion plan in more than five years.
The Disability Access and Inclusion Plan (DAIP) 2016-2021 was endorsed by City of Armadale councillors on Monday night and replaces the 2011 plan.
By 2026 the number of people with disability in WA was expected to grow by more than 210,000 because of an ageing population.
It outlines strategies to improve access and inclusion in the city including supporting accessible events.
Other initiatives include providing better pedestrian access to roads; and designing parks, playgrounds and reserves to accommodate people with disability.
It also suggests providing public and council documents in alternative formats as well as improving complaints feedback mechanisms.
Armadale Disability Access and Inclusion reference group member and Armadale resident Rachael Ralston has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
The condition affects her connective tissues, which means she uses a wheelchair to get around.
She said she always runs into accessibility problems in public areas like shopping centres where shopping isles, designed to be a certain width apart, have pillars in the middle of them.
“There’s some shops that just don’t think about people with disability or the way they plan stores.
“They often have a pole in the middle of the shop,” she said.
She said if the DAIP could address these issues it would be a great thing.
“The plan’s come out really well,” she said.
“I think they’ve thought of a lot of different things and a lot of different disabilities.
“It’s about making things more accessible than just for physical impairment.”
Fellow reference group member and former City of Armadale councillor Melissa Northcott said the DAIP was good because it was a cross-city approach.
“All the strategies affect everyone to some degree and highlights the importance of a changing culture of disability, the needs of community and the understanding of accessibility and inclusivity within and throughout the City on a multi-dimensional level,” she said.
“Armadale has improved a lot over the years and there will always be areas for improvement in a changing face of disability.”
Armadale mayor Henry Zelones said everyone will be impacted by a disability at some stage.
“At some point in some person’s lifetime they will suffer a disability,” he said.
“To try and make our facilities as compatible as possible is simply the right and moral thing to do.
“The DAIP sits alongside many other strategic plans in place.
“If we’re going to develop a new playground or there’s going to be a new building or sporting facility or even when we’re remodelling some of the old buildings we now have to go to those and say well these changes need to be made.”
The city will now forward their plan to the Disability Services Commission.
For more information visit armadale.wa.gov.au.
