Disability Discrimination Act Action Plan Review

The Equity and Diversity Unit is in the final stages of drafting Deakin's new Disability Action Plan, which will be launched later this year.

A Disability Action Plan is a strategy for changing those practices which might result in discrimination (intentional or unintentional) against people with disability. Once completed, the Action Plan is submitted to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Extensive consultations with students and staff held in 2010 have been analysed to inform the new Plan.

Consultation process and findings

A Working Group was formed with representatives from across the University to guide the process of reviewing Deakin’s current Disability Discrimination Act Action Plan. The project team obtained information from a range of sources:

• Desk top review of policies, procedures and previous plans

• Focus groups with students and staff at all campuses

• Telephone interviews with students registered with the Disability Resource Centre

• All-staff disability confidence survey conducted in September 2010

• Management team meetings in Faculties, Institutes and other areas (FIOAs).

Data and qualitative feedback were analysed by the project team, summarised and discussed with the Working Group and the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee (EDAC).

A final round of consultations with FIOAs is planned to confirm actions, responsibilities and timelines before the plan is lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission later this year. The project team developed a number of summary papers, including general and specific feedback, and will share these with each area.

Key findings from the consultations included:

Strengths:

• Deakin University has a strategic focus on access and equity which is reflected in its policy framework and core commitments

• Deakin staff have a strong commitment to being welcoming, inclusive and supportive, value diversity and many have a high level understanding with regard to supporting a diverse student and staff population, including our legislated responsibilities.

Challenges:

• More direction, support, information and training is needed about how to include people with disability in all aspects of University life

• Access issues in the built environment and in the online and teaching environments need to be systematically and creatively addressed

• Knowledge should be developed through research and sharing the expertise of Deakin staff and community organisations.

Addressing these challenges will see Deakin once more demonstrating leading practice in the University sector.

Structure and content of the proposed DDA Action Plan

The proposed Goals of the Plan have been developed in line with the three strategic areas of the Deakin University Widening Participation Plan:

• Aspiration: to ensure that people with disability (students, staff and community members) want to study or work at Deakin or partner with the University, and know they will be welcome

• Access: to ensure that people with disability are included and supported at Deakin

• Achievement: to ensure that people with disability succeed in their study, employment or other engagement with Deakin.

The draft Plan is structured around the three goals and includes a brief overview of the Current Situation as well as Strategies, Actions and Key Indicators developed for each goal.

Approval, implementation and monitoring of the DDA Action Plan

To capitalise on the engagement generated during the consultation process, and to ensure that the University takes an inclusive approach to people with disability, the following implementation process will occur:

• The Action Plan will be endorsed by the University Council

• The Action Plan will be embedded into the University planning and reporting process

• The timeframe of the Action Plan will align with the timeframe of the next University Strategic Plan

• Specific actions will be included in operational plan targets of responsible areas for 2012 and beyond

The new Plan will be in plain language and available in a number of accessible formats, including online.