Theme Three: Accessible communities

• Priority 7: Universal Design across South Australia
• Priority 8: Accessible and available information
• Priority 9: Access to services

Priority 7: Universal Design across South Australia

Actions 16

Elevate the design quality of South Australia’s built environment and public realms through promoting design quality policy and the principles of Universal Design.

South Australia’s Principles of Good Design are available at Office for Design and Architecture SA website. The principles underpin the State Design Review program, the Local Design Review Scheme, the Open Space Grants Program, and design for government services (architecture and infrastructure projects).

Action 17

Explore the feasibility of adopting Universal Design procedures across State Government (as currently used by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet) in the design, construction, maintenance and procurement of all workplace environments, customer environments, systems, intranets and websites, and programs and policies. This will include:

• applying Universal Design principles to sport and recreation infrastructure projects to support family friendly and accessible facilities
• considering Universal Design principles in infrastructure works and maintenance across the Department for Environment and Water managed land, infrastructure and parks
• adopting Livable Housing Australia Design Guidelines for all new build social housing stock
• considering incorporating Universal Design principles in residential construction and maintenance specifications for SA Housing Authority houses
• improving access for people living with disability in the redevelopment of the Sir Samuel Way and Supreme Court buildings.

Department for Environment and Water’s latest investment initiatives consider Universal Design in the concept plans, design phase and construction. The Nilpena Ediacara National Park Visitor Hub is currently being constructed and will contain a fossil bed enabling people with vision impairment to touch and feel Ediacaran fossils.

SA Housing Authority Silver Level of the Livable Housing Australia Design guidelines are being used for the Authority’s new builds and, the 400 new builds (as at 2021–22) to be delivered through the Public Housing Improvement Program.

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Action 18

Contribute to the national conversation on the possibility of introducing Silver or Gold level Livable Housing standards for all new housing to be applied through the National Construction Code from 2022.

Planning and Land Use Services participated in an extensive consultation process with the Department of Treasury and Finance and the SA Housing Authority to support the development of the 2022 Edition of the National Construction Code due to take effect in States and Territories from 1 September 2022.

Action 19

Local council access and inclusion planning to consider consultation outcomes including:

• incorporating Universal Design principles in criteria for all new building and public projects and planning for programs, services and events
• developing Universal Design training plans for staff and contractors
• review of availability of accessible car parks.

95% (4% increase form 2020–21) of all local councils are including access and inclusion within their consultation and planning, incorporating Universal Design principles and training and review of accessible car parks.

Further information can be found in State authorities’ Disability Action and Inclusion Plans (DAIPs). All DAIPs can be accessed on the Inclusive SA website.

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Priority 8: Accessible and available information

Action 20

Create the Inclusive SA website (and consider other communication media) to provide key resources for people living with disability and the community to raise awareness about disability.

Completed in Inclusive SA 2020–2021 Annual Report

Action 21

Develop a toolkit to support State authorities to ensure communication about their services is available in a range of accessible formats. These may include easy read, Auslan, pictorial forms, large font, audible options, Braille, closed captions and VoiceOver.

Completed in Inclusive SA 2020–2021 Annual Report

Action 22

Improve online accessibility of State Government websites, including through implementation of the Online Accessibility Policy and related guidelines.

100% (3% increase from 2020–21) of all State Government agencies have improved online accessibility of State Government websites.

Further information can be found in State authorities’ Disability Action and Inclusion Plans (DAIPs). All DAIPs can be accessed on the Inclusive SA website.

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Priority 9: Access to services

Action 23

Continue to work collaboratively with the Commonwealth Government and the National Disability Insurance Agency to develop strategies to support a diverse disability workforce, including within regional South Australia.

DHS is partnering with the Department for Education to increase the disability workforce and will work with national and state and territory colleagues on the incoming Commonwealth Government's pre-election commitment to develop a comprehensive NDIS Workforce Strategy.

DHS continues to work through the Closing the Gap Partnership to deliver on the Disability Sector Strengthening Plan which supports Priority Reform Two – to build the Aboriginal community-controlled disability sector and enhance inclusivity and accessibility for Aboriginal people with a disability, including within regional areas to improve outcomes.

Action 24

Further develop Auslan interpreter capacity (by drawing on people with lived experience).

Skills SA have increased their training accounts from 1200 to 1364 in their Certificate II Diploma level Auslan courses.

Action 25

Develop and promote a toolkit for signage, wayfinding and multimedia devices for State authorities to support deaf, hard of hearing, blind, vision or hearing-impaired persons.

Completed in 2020–2021 Inclusive SA Annual Report.

Action 26

State authorities to consider including in their infrastructure maintenance and upgrade schedules the installation of signs on the front of public buildings indicating disability access (where this has been assessed by an accredited access consultant) and installation of multimedia devices in queues at service outlets to include people who are deaf, hard of hearing, vision-impaired or blind.

80% (8% increase from 2020–21) of all State authorities have upgraded signage and/or installed multimedia devices as part of their infrastructure maintenance and upgrade schedules.

Further information can be found in State authorities’ Disability Action and Inclusion Plans (DAIPs). All DAIPs can be accessed on the Inclusive SA website.

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Action 27

Implement the Canine Court Companion pilot project to provide increased practical support and assistance to vulnerable victims and prosecution witnesses involved with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Zeb, a two-year-old Labrador, is the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution’s (ODPP) new Canine Court Companion, after the sad passing of South Australia’s inaugural Canine Court Companion, Zero, in early 2022. The Canine Court Companion project is a joint initiative between the ODPP and Guide Dogs SA/NT.

Action 28

Continue to work with the Commonwealth Government to reform the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002.

Department for Infrastructure and Transport contribute to the National Accessible Transport Taskforce (NATT) Working Groups and Steering Committee providing South Australia’s jurisdictional contribution to progressing NATT objectives.

Action 29

Ensure the state-owned bus fleet is accessible, including disability awareness training for frontline public transport staff and the consideration of voice systems in buses that notify people of the next stop.

Department for Infrastructure and Transport continue to ensure all new buses are accessible with improved passenger next stop information systems for bus services, enhancing accessibility and inclusion for people with disability.

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Action 30

Promote liaison and communication links between health services and disability support services, and improve the continuity of supports, including psychosocial supports, during hospitalisation.

Department of Health and Wellbeing coordinates with government and non-government service providers, during patient hospitalisation and upon discharge, to ensure patients experience a smooth and safe pathway out of hospital.

Dedicated Disability Coordinator Leads have working relationships with the SA Intellectual Disability Health Service, many other Non-Government Organisations and community organisations.

Action 31

Consider establishing minimum standards for priority parks and reserves (including coasts, heritage places and Crown land) that improve access and inclusion for people living with disability and implement a program of priority actions, including exemplar visitor experiences.

Department of Environment and Water have developed Accessibility Guidelines to ensure that all new infrastructure and upgrades include disability access and inclusion. A tiered system of accessibility has been developed to help project managers and rangers determine what level of accessibility a site requires.

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