Response

Yes

No

Don’t know/unsure

Comments

No

I found the Plan hugely disappointing. These comments refer to the complete plan.
Without targets, clear actions, timelines and at least annual (preferably twice yearly) updates re what has been achieved, the plan is useless.
Words written on a page do not achieve anything. The plan MUST tell us how you are going to get there.
The Inclusion Action Plan of 2017 to 2021 made little or no progress on most actions despite there being clear actions, time lines etc.
The Inner West Council has failed miserably with the 2017/21 plan and the new plan gives me no confidence that this plan will achieve what is needed to make our community accessible to ALL.
I was a councillor for the last four years and was amazed at the lack of access to IWC buildings eg Petersham Town Hall ( work recently done), Balmain Town Hall and Marrickville Town Hall ( if it has disabled access it is unclear where).
Public domain - items 4.1.3 and 4.1.4 in the 2017 to 2021 plan - no work has been done. Every footpath in our strip shopping centres is inaccessible due to tables and chairs, stools, A frames, shop displays etc. the current outdoor dining plans from Ashfield and Leichhardt are ignored and there has been NO effort to address compliance. the former Ashfield Council had done this work and required compliance - but under IWC there has been no compliance of the Ashfield plan and it is now a disgrace.
There has been no education directed to the traders.
The condition of some footpaths are appalling and absolutely impossible for any person with a disability safely traversing the footpaths.
The plan must have actions and time lines added.
The two most important issues are housing and work. I cannot understand why the writers of this plan don’t start with the easy issues which may be achievable such as % of council’s affordable housing be made available to people with a disability and council’s own public domain like footpath access, bus shelters etc be a priority. Insist on compliance.

Yes

We should provide accessible infrastructure as it will benefit all of the community

Yes

I hope you keep your promise. So far very horrible. If you can do better. Doing crap in this bad council a free due to the domination of ableism. I hope you can make it better. My life depends on it.

Yes

Please pay the people on your disability advisory group. Disabled people deserve to be paid for their work and knowledge.

Unsure / Don't know

There are some very positive initiatives, such as the attempt to create 100 jobs for people with disabilities and to increase accessibility of council engagement and information, and adopt liveable and gold standard housing. However, the 100 jobs is the only substantial measurable goal. Also, the focus remains on awareness and encouragement, with limited commitments to spending. In particular, I am concerned about the campaign regarding welcoming customers with disabilities which replaces the grants program. There should be increased spending. I attend Summer Hill Church, and they spent 120,00 on accessible toilets and entrances so that a local landmark was accessible. We received no assistance from council at all. A church does not operate for profit, but most businesses would not have this luxury

Unsure / Don't know

My needs are for transport. I am one of the victims of the 469 bus rout.. now effectively a prisoner in my home especially at night. The 469 is the old 370 which now services glebe point road.. they already have a bus and now we don't. our services are supposedly half hourly but they are so often cancelled. there are a lot of old or an my case disabled people who relied heavily on it. It doesn’t matter how inclusive the activities are if people cannot get to them.

Yes

Looks good, but I'd suggest:

- using data visualisation to convey the national statistics at the start of the DIAP (are there no Inner West LGA-specific data that could be included?)

- including specific targets alongside the objectives, and baseline information so progress can be publicly tracked.

Yes

I found this Plan too general & not specific enough with regard to linking Council works to actual disability issues.For example, Simpson Park has no ramped area to exit; I have to lift my walker down the gutter

Council has an Aged Care co-ordinator, but I don't think they really understand how difficult it is to actually traverse the footpaths with a wheelchair or walker.I would like to see more emphasis on co-ordinating with all new builds, which often rip up footpaths & leave them impassable for months.

The Council has failed miserably on "advocacy with NSW& Commonwealth Government on support & service needs of people with disability", see p. 6. 1.4..I am both old & disabled

The Council abandoned Meals on Wheels & transferred me to Australian Unity.

Recently my food stopped coming; apparently Council had not assigned a code correctly.

I had to fight this alone...eventually being helped by Seniors Rights Service

Yes

I recently moved from Ashfield to Homebush, so I am no longer under Ashfield council. Anything that helps the disabled is good news. Where else in the World do we have help for the disabled like we have in Australia. We are so lucky.