Annual Report 2005-2006 - Waverley Council

People with disabilities (continued)
Waverley Council
Access and Equity Activities 2005/2006
Number and type of events, activities promoting disability issues
(Access Aware Launch, Waverley Community Living Project
activity).
Annual Report 2005/2006
Dept Page No
L&CS 120
A page of the summer 2005 edition of Waverley in Focus was dedicated to information about
Council’s access policy and achievements for disability access in Waverley. Information about
services provided for people with disabilities was also included with contact details.
On 8 December 2005 Council hosted a one day consultation and training workshop, Advocating for
Access 2005, offered free by Guide Dogs NSW/ ACT for people with visual impairment, Councillors,
relevant staff and Access Committee members from Southern Sydney Region (SSROC) Councils.
The date was chosen to coincide with International Day of People with a Disability on December 3.
Guest speakers included presenters from Guide Dogs NSW/ ACT, the Independent Living Centre
and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC). The workshop included a
morning of consultation with local people with visual impairment and an afternoon of education for
Council staff and decision-makers about strategies for improving access in the built environment for
people with visual impairment. A cross section of planning and community services staff and access
committee members from a number of Councils attended, 35 people in all throughout the day.
Council also joined with other Southern Sydney Region Councils in December 2005 to host a dinner
celebrating the contribution of access committee members to improving access for people with
disabilities across the region. Guest speaker Michael Simpson from Vision Australia spoke about
access for people with vision impairment. With 150 people attending representing 11 Councils, the
dinner provided an invaluable opportunity for networking and sharing ideas among committee
members.
Promote community awareness of access issues though:
L&CS 120
Coordination of annual Access awards (as part of the Bondi
Junction Business Awards)
Facilitation information for businesses re access
Accessible Community information sheets - 500 copies
distributed, posted on Council website
Providing the community with information about access
following upgrades
Contribution to activities for the International Day of People
With Disabilities.
Council promoted community awareness of access issues through:
• Inclusion of an access award in the Bondi Junction Business Awards. This year the award was
won by Charing Cross Pharmacy and the Zoo Bar Café;
• Facilitating the provision of information for business about access through the distribution of 500
copies of Access Aware Information Sheets to all Councillors, Bondi Junction Town Centre
Office and Council’s Planning Department;
• Improving the Information available to the community about access with the posting of
information about the location of allocated accessible car parking spaces on Council’s web site.
Information about accessible toilets in Waverley was posted on the National Public Toilet Map
web site. A page of the summer edition of Waverley in Focus was dedicated to information
about Council’s access policy and achievements for disability access in Waverley. Information
about services provided for people with disabilities was also included with contact details;
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