Ararat Rural City residents will help shape a new council disability action plan, with consultation on the plan now open to everyone in the region.

The plan will guide how the council improves accessibility and inclusion across its services, facilities, programs and workplaces, aiming to remove barriers for people with disabilities.

The council will host a series of community consultation workshops from August 24 to September 14 at localities across the municipality, with additional phone and online appointments also available during the consultation period.

Mayor Bob Sanders encouraged people with lived experience of disability, as well as carers, families, support networks and community members to share their feedback and help inform the plan.

A working group comprising council representatives, community members with lived experience and organisations with expertise in inclusive practice has already provided input on the plan.

Cr Sanders said the consultation process was an opportunity for the wider community to help shape a plan that reflected local needs, priorities and experiences, and was about listening carefully to the people who best understood barriers to participation in the community.

“Getting this plan right has started with listening to people who live with disability every day, and to the people around them who help navigate those experiences,” he said.

“This next stage is about broadening that conversation, hearing from more people across the municipality, and making sure the final plan is practical, honest and useful.”

“We want this to be a plan that leads to real improvements in how people access council services, move through our public spaces, take part in community life, and consider council as a workplace.

“If we do that well, it will be a plan the community can have confidence in for the long term.”

Council community workshops during the consultation period will be in Ararat, Elmhurst, Willaura, Moyston, Pomonal, Streatham, Lake Bolac and Wickliffe.

Some sessions will be tailored to particular groups, including children and carers, young people, people with physical disabilities, people with non-physical disabilities, carers, culturally and linguistically diverse communities, older residents, support-sector workers, women and girls, men and boys, and non-carer friends and family members.

Anyone is welcome to attend a session, with registrations encouraged so the council can arrange appropriate accessibility supports.

People can also complete an online survey, with a Word document version of the survey for people preferring to provide written feedback.

Submissions close on Friday, September 18 at 5pm, with feedback able to be provided through Engage Ararat at engage.ararat.vic.gov.au/disability-action-plan, by email, by post, or in person using available survey options and consultation sessions.

All session dates and times are also available on the Engage Ararat website.

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