New Universal Design and Disability Inclusion Policy to help Yarra work for all

About one in five Yarra residents, roughly 21,000 people, has a disability, impairment or long-term health condition. Around 8,500 more care for someone who does, without pay. 

“For many people, a trip down the street takes planning most people never think about,” said Yarra City Council Mayor, Cr Stephen Jolly.  

“A cracked footpath, a crossing that changes too fast, nowhere to sit, a form that only works online. None of these is dramatic on its own. Together they can shut people out of ordinary life.” 

It shows. Among Yarra residents with disability, 43 per cent report feeling lonely, against 26 per cent of the community. 

“Accessibility should not depend on luck, on your circumstances, or on whether you’re prepared to fight for a reasonable adjustment, said Cr Jolly. “It should be how Council works by default. That is the idea behind the Universal Design and Disability Inclusion Policy.” 

Universal design is a discipline that builds for the full range of people who will use something, from the start, rather than retrofitting for them later. A step-free entrance works for a wheelchair user. It also works for a parent with a pram, someone on crutches, and a delivery driver with a trolley. 

The policy requires that approach in everything Council builds, renews or delivers, be it buildings, parks, footpaths, public toilets, websites, programs, events and the way we communicate.  

“This policy sets direction,” said Cr Jolly. 

“It doesn’t, by itself, fund a single new footpath. The specific work, priorities and timelines will be set out in an operational plan. The barriers people raised won’t all disappear overnight, and Council has competing demands on its budget, as every council does. But there are things residents can hold us to.” 

Cr Jolly said Council will run access walks with people with disability through our activity centres, parks and routes to public transport. The people who meet the barriers will be the same people who identify them and help design the fixes.  

Council advertising will make clear that accessibility support is available on request: Auslan interpreters, captions, quiet spaces. No one should have to wonder whether it’s worth asking.  

Council will also publish an accessibility and inclusion update every year, with progress reported twice a year in Council’s Quarterly Community Report.  

Cr Jolly said the policy was shaped by the people who use our streets and services. Residents told us about narrow and obstructed footpaths, crossings that don’t feel safe, and the need for more accessible toilets, seating and shade. They asked for information in plain English and other formats, and for recognition of carers, whose work holds much of this community together. 

“That feedback is the standard we’ll be measured against.”