Page 748 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 17 March 2015
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In this we are guided by the national disability strategy 2010-20, a 10-year national plan to enable people with a disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens in our community. Through the actions of the ACT government we now have a more accessible transport system through a wheelchair accessible taxi booking system and flexible community bus options, and people with a disability, especially those with profound disability, are working in their own businesses.
We have also changed student attitudes around disability through the everyone everyday disability awareness program that received a national disability award in 2014. We are also fortunate to have many people with a disability in our community that are strong champions and innovators of inclusion—people like Jess May, who, with the assistance of an ACT government ICON grant, established an innovative telework labour hire company called Enabled Employment that supports people with a disability to find meaningful and well-paid employment.
Glenn Keys, the 2015 ACT Australian of the Year, has spearheaded Project Independence. It will give people with disability a way to purchase shared equity in their homes. And Sue Salthouse, named the Canberra Citizen of the Year this year, is a strong advocate for people with a disability. These are just three of our local residents who advocate and innovate across our community for people with a disability.
The ACT government is confident and ready to work with people such as Jess, Sue, Glenn and many others with a disability. We will work with them and the community to co-design and implement the territory’s next disability policy framework, the ACT disability inclusion statement.
The ACT disability inclusion statement will guide an inclusive Canberra community that enables people with a disability to fulfil their potential as equal citizens. It will focus on community and government action over the next two years to improve outcomes for people with a disability who live in the ACT. The ACT disability inclusion statement will focus on high level principles, practices and outcomes that align to the national disability strategy. These will be underpinned by key performance indicators that are developed in consultation with the community.
We live in the world’s most livable city, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. But, unfortunately, people with disability may not yet enjoy all those benefits equally with other Canberrans. We know that people with disability are less likely to be employed, have lower income levels and have less access to affordable housing options. The ACT disability inclusion statement will set a vision where all people with a disability feel included, reach their potential and can have access to aspects of community life.
There are five priority areas that we will progress under the ACT disability inclusion statement over the next two years. In 2015-16 we propose to focus on housing and employment. We will focus on how government, the community and businesses can work together to create more job opportunities for people with a disability, including self-employment, and strengthen pathways from education to employment for all
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