The Northern Beaches will continue to be an inclusive and accessible community for everyone under a new plan endorsed by Council.
Following community consultation, Council has adopted the second Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022–2026, which sets key priorities and actions to make the Northern Beaches more inclusive.
Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan said the new action plan will continue to improve accessibility and inclusion in our community.
“We want our community to be one where everyone has a sense of belonging, is treated with respect, is able to actively participate, and feels truly valued,” Mayor Regan said.
“The Disability Inclusion Action Plan guides our work to remove barriers, embrace diverse abilities and create a more accessible and inclusive community.
“Importantly, this new action plan includes three additional actions to strengthen Council’s commitment to emergency preparedness for people living with a disability. Recent weather events and the ongoing pandemic have shown us just how important it is to ensure that all people, including people with a disability, are prepared and supported in times of crisis.”
The action plan aims to create positive community attitudes and behaviours, create liveable communities, support access to meaningful employment and improve access to mainstream services through better systems and processes.
Development of the action plan followed extensive community engagement, with recent community feedback on the draft plan being overall supportive.
The previous Disability Inclusion Action Plan (2017–2021) resulted in upgrades to parks and facilities including Lionel Watts Reserve, Manly Dam, Narrabeen Lagoon Trail, and Beacon Hill Community Centre.
Under the previous plan, Council also created the Access and Inclusion Award to recognise inclusive businesses in the Northern Beaches Local Business Awards, updated the Council website to achieve an AA rating under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and introduced a new staff learning module on disability awareness.