Summary of Consultation, October 2020

We conducted community consultation regarding the draft Disability Access and Inclusion Plan between Monday 8 June until Sunday 5 July 2020 to seek community feedback prior to Council committing to the implementation of the actions in the draft Plan.

The consultation is considered to have been successful, with good levels of awareness and participation, including:

• 150 brochures on the draft plan were sent to key disability service providers, the library and Mount Barker Community Centre.
• Through Council’s YourSay project page, there were 26 visitors and 8 contributors / responders.
• Facebook posts were scheduled on 8 and 15 June with a reach of 3,600 and 2,200 respectively, and:
  • 207 and 73 people clicked on the post, and
  • 52 and 24 reacted, commented or shared the post.
• A consultation drop-in session was held on 17 June between 9am-12pm at the Mount Barker Community Centre and 5 community members attended.
• A consultation session with the Disability and Inclusion Reference Group was held via Zoom on 1 July and 6 members attended the session.
• A total of 15 submissions and surveys were received by residents associations and individuals in the community.

All themes received support, with accessible community infrastructure (particularly a hydrotherapy pool) and inclusive community programming highlighted as priority areas for action.

The community provided further suggestions for changes and improvements to the content of the draft Plan. This is summarised in the Summary of Consultation. The suggestions have been considered alongside Council officer advice and the Plan has been amended where appropriate.

Related files:

• A summary of consultation providing council’s response to each issue raised
• Council Agenda, 12.5: Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2020-2024, p. 54