People with a Disability

Anyone in our community has the possibility of developing or acquiring a disability, or of having a friend or relative develop or acquire a disability, either temporarily or permanently. Disability can take many forms. A disability may be physical, sensory (affecting hearing or vision), intellectual, neurological (such as a brain injury) or psychiatric.

Waverley Council is committed to improving access and services for people with disabilities through its Disability Action Plan and Access Policy.

The WaverleyAccess Committee provides advice and makes recommendations to Council on local access issues.

Council aims to facilitate improved access for people with disabilities to buildings, public places and services, and to promote the awareness of disability issues in the community. We provide some direct services such as Meals on Wheels, and aHome Library Service. Waverley Community Living Program provides direct services for people with a mild intellectual disability.

There are other local services which can provide in-home support for people with disabilities of all ages. Some of the services listed in Council's brochure about Home and Community Care Services also provide assistance to younger people with disabilities living in Waverley. The Services for Older People and Services for Deaf & Hearing Impaired People directories may also be of interest.

If you or someone you know is affected by mental illness, you might want to learn more about what services are available to support you. Download an information brochure about mental health services in Eastern Sydney.

Council also supports local initiatives for people with disabilities such as a Low Vision Group for seniors, the Mindfields self-help group for people with acquired brain injury and IDEAS NSW Inc., a disability information service.

If you are interested in finding out more about services for people with any type of disability, IDEAS NSW has a comprehensive and up to date database of information covering accommodation, employment, education, recreation, tourism, respite care, equipment or any other type of service or product. This is a free and confidential service. Council provides management support and funding to this organisation. The IDEAS website address is http://www.ideas.org.au/ or contact their Sydney office at Suite 208 Level 2, 35 Buckingham St Surry Hills telephone 1800 029 904.

Council is also proud to be a partner in a pilot project of IDEAS NSW called ‘Access Aware!’ ®. Access Aware! will be a comprehensive online database of accessible businesses and facilities and be marketed to people with access difficulties.

Learn more about how a business can self-assess for accessibility and increase their customer reach.

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and Marrickville Council have produced a booklet called ‘Missed Business’, which also explains how to make business premises and services more accessible to people with disabilities. You can download a copy of this booklet or visit the Human Rights website.