Category: Policy and Policy Development

A public toilet is a human right

Most people can stall their hunger or thirst for a while, but some people find their bladder and bowels are more demanding. Access to clean usable public toilets are essential for everyone, but their designs are often lacking.

Joe Manton writes about the issues of gender inclusive toilets in the Spring 2024 issue of Access Insight.

All gender restroom sign. Black background with white text and icons.

A previous post discussed the assumptions underpinning the assignment of gender neutral toilets. Manton provides a more detailed perspective using the lived experience of people. Here is a sample of the topics covered. 

Toilet anxiety and security

Public toilet anxiety can arise for different reasons. For some it is a phobia about being able to use the toilet or being too far from one. For others it’s a fear of having an accident in public, other people hearing you, cleanliness, or sharing a space with others. 

Gender diversity

People who are gender diverse often lack access to a safe public toilet. They can be ridiculed, abused, threatened or assaulted if they use single gendered toilets. Consequently, something as basic as going to the toilet can cause increased levels of anxiety and depression.

When forced to use all gender toilets, women feel unsafe, and men feel constrained in their interactions with women in this public space. Social and cultural perspectives also impact the way people feel about using public toilets. 

Toilet wait times

The USA Potty Parity movement says that in busy facilties, women can wait up to 34 times longer than men. They also have to spend more time than men. Time to remove clothing, and at times, deal with feminine hygiene, see to children or help an older relative.  

What the standards say

The current status of the National Construction Code includes mandated requirements for sanitary facilities. Depending on the building classification it includes, male, female, ambulant male, ambulant female, unisex accessible, and accessible adult change facilities. 

There is no mandated requirement for all gender toilets, baby change areas, and assistance animal relief areas. 

Manton argues that there is convincing evidence to retain separate male and female toilets. Being trans or non-binary is not a disability and some feel uncomfortable about using an accessible toilet. It also signals to others that their identity is in some way a disabling condition. In a way, it is, because without suitable facilities they are disabled by design. 

Unisex accessible toilets

The number of unisex accessible toilets in buildings according to the Construction Code is based on disability. It does not account for the number of other people who need to use this facility. Often a baby change table is installed, so parents with prams and small children also use them. 

Manton provides detailed information in the article about standards and discusses all gender toilets in detail. She also covers toilet design considerations and proposed amendments to the Construction Code. 

The title of the article is, It’s a Right to go to the toilet – Not a Privilege. This is an update to the previous article in 2021 All gender toilets: We just want to go to the toilet.

A gender neutral toilet sign with a graphic of the top half of a person and a graphic of a wheelchair user. The text says this facility is for everyone.See also the excellent discussion by Nicole Kalms and Laura McVey in Commentary on Let Us Pee.

They argue “the proposed legislative changes for the provision of ‘all gender’, ‘gender-neutral’ or ‘unisex’ toilets operate under an incorrect assumption that gender neutrality will lead to greater inclusion”.

Books on inclusive design

This post features four books on the topic of inclusive design, accessibility and social justice.

Living Disability: Building Accessible Futures for Everybody is a book of essays written by Canadians with disability. It expresses their lived experience, their battles, their advocacy.

Front cover of the Living Disability book. It has an abstract background with black text.

The book is about being disabled in public and the privilege of having a private place to call home. It provides cross sectional views from colonialism to cycling, and from art to recycling. The style of writing is engaging and carries the reader through vibrant perspectives on disability justice and urban systems. Order from Coach House Books, or other booksellers. 

Design for inclusion conference papers

Design for inclusion: Accelerating Open Access Science in Human Factors Engineering and Human-Centered Computing is not just about computing. It includes papers on museums and cultural heritage, recycling, product design, urban mobility, vehicle design, door designs, map design, inclusive gaming, inclusive web design.

Front cover of the book of conference proceedings on Design for Inclusion.

This open access book of conference papers addresses age-friendly environments, disability, dementia, learning systems, clothing, digital media and more. Many really interesting papers from around the globe.

Of topical interest is a paper by Satoshi Kose, a well known Japanese academic on the legacy of their 2020 Games. Kose expressed his concern about accessibility in 2016 and in 2024 he reviews the progress or lack thereof. The title is, How far has Japanese accessibility improved with Tokyo 2020 Olympics/Paralympics?

Humans and the planet

Flourish by Design is a book about designing for a better tomorrow. The book explores the difference that design can make for people, organisations, and the planet.

The editors are so keen for change they have made it open access.

Front cover of Flourish by Design. A bright green background with black and white lettering.

Flourish by Design has 32 chapters covering a diversity of design ideas and issues. “Design impacts everyday life, shaping the way we engage with the world and those around us. This is not simply limited to the ‘us’ as human beings but also the many other species we share the planet with.”

Everyone needs low carbon designs

Building for People: Designing Livable, Affordable, Low Carbon Communities. Architect and ecodistrict planner Michael Eliason makes the case for low-carbon ecodistricts drawing from his experience working in Europe and North America.

Front cover of the book building for people.

Eliason shows the potential for new climate-adaptive ecodistricts that address housing shortages while simultaneously planning for climate change. Ecodistricts incorporate social housing, invest in open space, and have infrastructure that adapts to climate change. Eliason also looks at public health, livability, climate adaptation, and quality of life are interconnected. Full-color photos and illustrations show what is possible in ecodistricts around the world.

Co-designing policy change

England, in post-Brexit mode, has taken a bold step in assessing the practicalities of co-design for broad policy change. However, national policy making systems are not structured for such a democratic process. Consequently, co-designing policy is a new challenge for the civil service. So this study of co-design for Environmental Land Management schemes is an important policy step forward.

Analysis revealed a mismatch between the principles and practices of environmental land management and co-design.

Policy co-design requires changes in government institutional cultures and practices.

A man in a checked shirt and a cap is standing in a bare field with a tractor in the background. He looks like a man on the land - a farmer.

This example of co-design processes is both broad and complex. The policy is about phasing out direct payments made to farmers and land managers. It’s also about creating a different system that aligns with other policy goals such as zero carbon emissions.

The Government’s co-design policy puts the responsibility on policy makers to be open to new ideas and ways of working. However, open policy making across the public services is not well defined. It seems the concept of open policy making has failed its commitment to less powerful groups. Indeed, it has given rise to involving the private sector elite experts.

Some of this failure is due to budget cuts across the public sector. Experienced staff were lost and then replaced with “experts”. Consequently, staff prefer the old consultation methods which are quicker and cheaper to run. Co-design methods, when done well, take more time and resources.

Three of the key challenges were:

  • lack of shared decision making in empowering stakeholders
  • confidentiality requirements causing barriers
  • insufficient transparency in how stakeholder views were used, or not
An aerial view of a farm with hedged square fields of green grass. One field has sheep grazing. There are three buildings with grey roofs.

Co-design for long term objectives

This important study highlights the need for ongoing commitment to long term policy development using co-design methods. It also highlights the importance of co-design for longer term objectives that need culture change to be effective. Without culture change the sustainability of the scheme or policy will be compromised.

The title of the paper is, Ideals and practicalities of policy co-design – Developing England’s post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. This is a significant piece of research with many lessons for policy makers and others involved in co-design processes. It goes beyond the co-design methods for individual projects, to broad-based policy aimed at long term outcomes and culture change.

Future of co-designing policy change

To enhance co-design methodologies the focus should be on refining and expanding them to ensure applicability across diverse policy domains. The role of emerging technologies could offer some assistance in different ways to facilitate co-design methods. The complexities of power dynamics and their impact on policy outcomes is another important factor to consider.

“This could be more achievable if policy-makers prioritize capacity building among stakeholders to facilitate their active participation in co-design processes. Providing training and resources to community members, especially those from underrepresented groups, will empower them to contribute meaningfully to policy development.”

Houses of Parliament in London showing the clock tower of Big Ben from the River Thames.

From the abstract

There are few examples of where co-design has been applied to active policy development on a large scale. England’s post-Brexit Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes offers a fascinating ‘laboratory’ to analyse how co-design at this scale works in practice. 

This paper offers the first in-depth empirical assessment of the process from the perspectives of both the policy makers and stakeholders. We provide critical insights on ‘pragmatic’ applications of co-design to active policy development. We reflect on what this tells us about the wider processes of policy development that may need to change. That is, if we want to accommodate this more ‘democratic’ approach.

Our analysis identified key barriers to co-design and revealed a mismatch between the principles and practices of ‘co-design’ in the initial development of ELM.

Challenges were: 1. A lack of shared decision-making and empowering stakeholders to contribute to problem-definitions. 2. Confidentiality requirements that introduced barriers to information-sharing. 3. Insufficient transparency and feedback on what happened to stakeholder’s contributions in terms of policy development. 4. An absence of detail on the schemes, including proposed approaches, payment rates, advice, baseline measures, the kinds of ‘outcomes’ expected, and monitoring mechanisms. 5. A repetition of themes that participants had already discussed. 

Many of these mismatches may be common to other policy arenas. We argue that improved application of policy co-design in government will rely on wider changes to political processes and the institutional culture and practices within the civil service.

Race & Racism: Myths, Misconceptions

The Human Rights Commission has produced a guide on 5 common Myths and Misconceptions about Racism. Each of these is explained further and are listed as:

  • Misconception that racism is about individual actions and beliefs
  • The myth of meritocracy
  • Misconception of not “seeing” race
  • The myth that “racism is a thing of the past”
  • Misconceptions about anti-racism
Introduction graphic on the 5 myths and misconceptions about racism.

British colonisation has shaped the way we talk about race and racism in Australia and has ongoing impacts. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) guide is one of self-reflection and education. It aims to support and enhance understandings of race, racisim, and anti-racism. It asks us to stop and think about the various opinions, stories and terms used and think critically about the myths and misconceptions.

Many ideas predate colonisation in Australia built upon re-existing ideas of racial hierarchies that classified humans based on physical difference. The result is ongoing structural and systemic racism. These deeply rooted myths prevent productive conversations to address racism.

“Anti-racism involves actively working to challenge racist policies, practices, culture, and ideas. It requires more than being “not racist”. It involves active decisions that seek to combat injustice and promote racial equity. Developing an anti-racism skillset and practice is an important part of promoting a better and more equitable society.

Myth 4 graphic. The myth that racism is a thing of the past. A woman is taking a photo of a grave headstone as if it were an historical artifact.

It would be useful to have a briefer document with just the key points, although there is an accessible Word version. Concepts and terminology are explained in detail, and the five myths and misconceptions are challenged, explained and discussed.

The AHRC acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land, sea, waterways, and sky throughout Australia and pays respect to First Nations Elders past and present. Saltwater People designed the guide.

Crisis planning by co-design

Floods and fires are a regular occurrence in Australia. However, they are happening more frequently and with more intensity. While there are standards for building evacuations and fire risk management, these were developed without thought for all citizens. And when people need to evacuate to a communal place of safety, there is no guarantee it will be accessible. Crisis planning requires input from all stakeholders and that includes community members.

Researchers in Sweden ran a workshop with stakeholders on crisis planning. One idea was to have practise events so that community members know where to go and what to do.

Fire fighters dressed in protective gear with oxygen tanks run towards the smoke.

Fire drills are commonplace in office blocks and institutions for both the occupants and emergency service personnel. Perhaps community members need these type of events to familiarise themselves with evacuation procedures and safe places.

Distributing information or brochures to households is not enough. People need to physically go through the process of getting to important places. They also need to check out places like shelters to ensure they are appropriate for their needs. People also need to know how to handle equipment they wouldn’t normally use. Also, information via the written word assumes everyone can read and comprehend the information.

A co-design, participatory process

The workshop generated collaboration in addressing the crisis scenario presented to the participants. The lived experience of people with disability was a good learning experience for disaster management staff. Maintaining a home preparedness kit is challenging for some people when some medicines are restricted. That means you can’t order in advance to keep a ‘spare’ set.

Although staff had worked previously with organisations to produce written materials, they could see that some people fall between the cracks. People who get by reasonably well and not connected to community services could be missed. Although they are managing with day to day activities they may need support in a crisis.

In summary, the co-design methods allowed for more nuanced information to emerge. Evacuation and rescue solutions are context dependent because each locality is different.

The title of the article is, Enhancing Inclusive Crisis Planning: Insights from a Disability-Inclusive Scenario Workshop. It’s open access so you can download the PDF.

Abstract

In response to escalating disasters, inclusive crisis planning is crucial. This study examines a specialised workshop that engaged people with disabilities in crisis planning, focusing on a simulated flood scenario.

Stakeholders from disability organizations and the local municipality collaborated, including eight crisis communicators and thirteen individuals with disabilities. The workshop facilitated knowledge exchange and surfaced disability-specific issues.

While successful in raising awareness, challenges arose in relaying detailed perspectives, emphasizing the need for nuanced communication. Locally relevant scenarios strengthened the workshop’s impact.

The findings stress the importance of early involvement of individuals with disabilities in crisis planning and offer insights for researchers and policymakers. This research contributes to enhancing inclusivity in crisis planning and informs future disaster risk reduction.

Vulnerable citizens in floods and fires

While there are standards for building evacuations and fire risk management, these were developed without thought for vulnerable citizens. And when people need to evacuate to a communal place of safety, there is no guarantee it will be accessible.

Residents of the Northern Rivers area of New South Wales are not new to flood events. But the floods are getting worse. A major flood event occurred previously in 2017 and four researchers decided to explore the experiences of people with disability.

They found people with disability and carers are more likely than others to be affected and displaced. Their needs are more immediate and urgent than most, and their mental health is more likely to be compromised.

Road Closed signs and a barrier of a road that reaches down to a river in flood.

Their findings show the profound impact and systematic neglect experienced by people with disability and their carers. A longer term recovery period is required for people with disability with tailored supports. Consequently, people with disability should be included in flood preparations and recovery efforts.

The title of the article is, Exposure to risk and experiences of river flooding for people with disability and carers in rural Australia: a cross sectional survey. It’s not a very accessible document as the format is in two columns.

Fire safety

The NDIS aims to support people to live independently in a home designed around their disability. This usually means a step free entry and modified bathroom designs. However, little, if any, thought is given to the design of fire safety and safe evacuation in an emergency.

“Fire safety systems must be considered as a total package of risk management, equipment, maintenance, training and fire and evacuation drills. …Where disabled or immobile persons are concerned, the importance of the total package cannot be underestimated.”

house fire photo taken at night time.

Some NDIS participants will need extra support to prepare for and react in an emergency. Hank Van Ravenstein outlines the role of the NDIS in his paper, Fire Safety and the National Disability Insurance Scheme. The first part relates the history of the NDIS followed by technical considerations for safety. He argues that the National Construction Code regulations don’t fully address or reflect the needs and risk behaviours of NDIS participants.

If we are to take a universal design approach, if the fire safety regulations aren’t sufficient for people with disability, are they sufficient for everyone?

Bushfire safety

As cities grow and become more compact, some citizens feel the need to “go bush”. This usually means finding a forest haven amongst the trees away from urban living. Then there are those who have always lived in the bush and wouldn’t live anywhere else. But bush living is risky and can be costly in terms of lives and property. It is particularly risky for people with disability and consequently, a different risk assessment process is needed.

Despite fire and rescue authorities encouraging people to prepare for bushfires (and floods), many leave it too late. Some are unable to understand the instructions, or unable to carry them out. A paper by Bennett and Van Ravenstein spells out all the technicalities of fire prevention and control.

A nighttime view of a major bushfire. The bright orange and red glow of the fire is reaching into the tops of the trees.

They argue for a risk assessment approach to existing and proposed buildings for vulnerable persons. The aim of their method is to provide a consistent basis for assessment. The title of their paper is Fire Safety Management of Vulnerable Persons in Bushfire Prone areas.

There is an related paper on vertical evacuation of vulnerable persons in buildings.

Reporting disability issues in the media

Media Diversity Australia has updated their handbook for reporting on disability issues in the media. The 2024 edition is written for both journalists and marketing professionals. 

A key point for journalists and marketing professionals is the scarcity of appropriate stock images of people with disability and older people. For example, at Getty Images, the visuals downloaded by Australian businesses and media in 2020 focused on white people with physical disability. 

This is a well researched document that covers more than the usual topics. It also has specific “how to” guides for interviewing people with different disabilities. The Disability Reporting Handbook is a good companion to the ABC guide to disability content – see below. 

The Handbook covers the usual introductions to disability and golden rules about language and images. Infographics for statistics provide useful information about disability in Australia. The handbook also covers:

      • Intersectionality with disability in relation to women, First Nations people, people from linguistically diverse backgrounds and LGBTQIA+ communities. 
      • Violence and disability, including support services available.
      • How-to guides for interviewing people with disability covering physical, sensory, cognitive, psychosocial and neurodiverse conditions. 
      • Images and audio
      • Marketing and advertising 

 “The biggest barrier to full participation in the community for people with disability is attitude. Most Australian’s with disability experience the soft bigotry of low expectations”. (Graeme Innes, former Disability Discrimination Commissioner)

The  contributors have varied backgrounds in media and journalism. They consulted widely in the development of this comprehensive publication. Media Diversity Australia is a not for profit organisation that believes the media should reflect the cultural diversity of Australia. They have another publication, Who Gets to Tell Australian Stories?  

ABC guide to disability content

ABC journalist Nas Campanella. ABC guide to disability content.
ABC Journalist Nas Campanella

Australia’s public broadcaster, the ABC, has a guide to disability content. The guide covers appropriate behaviour and language in reporting and portraying disability content. It’s applicable to all ABC platforms including social media. It’s a good guide for all journalism and anyone new to interacting with people with disability.

The title of the guide is, Reporting and Portraying Disability in ABC Content. Arranging and conducting interviews, asking questions, language and terminology are all covered. Many journalists are up to date with their language now, but images are still a problem. And there is still a tendency to place people with disability into a victim or a hero role. 

The information about arranging and conducting interviews includes checking on any assistance or support they might need. Saying someone is inspirational is not appropriate. So check facts and don’t run with assumptions.

Photographers and camera operators need similar information to avoid showing pitying pictures or focusing on assistive equipment. Wheelchairs are not the sum total of people with disability.

Images of disability in journalism

The guide gives the following advice: 

    • Avoid portraying individuals as objects of pity. For example, photograph a person using a wheelchair at their level, not looking down on them. Powerful, positive reinforcing images are generally preferred, depending on the editorial context.
    • Only show the person’s disability if it is critical to the story.
    • Avoid focusing on equipment unless that is the focus of the story. Avoid gratuitous cutaways of wheelchairs, canes, hearing aids and other devices.
    • Avoid having the talent’s carers or family in photos or video unless they are also part of the story. Show the talent as having autonomy over their own lives.
    • Avoid showing the person with disability as isolated from the community unless that is the focus of the story.
    • Avoid using stock images as the majority reinforce stereotypes of disability and are of poor quality.
    • Avoid using images of mobility aids, such as photos of wheelchairs, as a generic image for a story about disability.
    • Do consider using people with disabilities to illustrate stories that are not about disability, to show they are a regular part of the community.
    • Do aim for diversity in imagery of people with disabilities and include people culturally diverse backgrounds and gender diverse people also live with disability
    • Do show people with disabilities doing normal things, such as catching public transport or shopping, but avoid making it ‘inspiration porn’. It’s just life.
    • Do show people with disabilities in positions of power and authority.

Image from ABC News website

 

Legal documents favour visible disabilities

A man's hand is writing the word regulations in large script style writing.Norway has been following the underlying concepts of universal design for 25 years. This means they have a history of policy and activities to reflect upon. Previous papers have highlighted successes and where there is room for improvement. A new Norwegian study looks at universal design through a legislative lens and finds legal documents favour visible disabilities. 

In more recent years, people with invisible disabilities have raised their voices in the disability rights movement. However, their voices are yet to be incorporated into legislative documents. Historically, people with mobility and vision impairments led the way in disability rights. This means their needs were front of mind when legislation was formed. 

The Norwegian researchers wanted to find out if there is a “disability prestige” at play. This is where some disabilities count more than others. Or is it something as basic as just having your disability visible to others? The researchers concluded that visibility was more important to explain discrimination between groups. 

The Norwegian study can be generalised to many other countries. In Australia the Access to Premises Standard also favours people with mobility and vision impairments. 

The Norwegian researchers carried out their study in the context of transport. They discuss the wording of documents and how terms such as “reduced mobility” are interpreted. It can mean a person with a physical and/or a cognitive impairment. However, it is most often linked to movement of the body. 

Prestige versus visibility

In the Norwegian documents mobility impairments are mentioned more frequently than other disabilities. Vision impairments, also frequently mentioned, come in second. The researchers conclude that discrimination between disability types is mostly explained by the visibility of a disability.  

Why does this matter? Because when provision for other disabilities and long term health conditions are not mentioned in legal documents, businesses and services don’t provide them. 

The title is, How laws of universal design discriminate between different types of disabilities – Lessons learned from Norway.

Financial inclusion for all

Looking upwards to the gable of a federation building with the name Bank on it.Financial inclusion should be a top priority for policymakers keen to alleviate poverty. Five of the Sustainable Development Goals feature financial inclusion, including reducing gender based inequalities. Access to financial services is a human right but overlooked for people with disability. 

Financial services include banking, credit, insurance and financial advisors. Each of these should be readily available to everyone. A literature review identified five key barriers:

  1. People with disability have a lower demand for formal financial services than those without disability
  2. Banks do not expect or welcome customers with disability
  3. More appropriate technologies are needed to overcome communication barriers because communication technology (ICT) fails to meet the web content accessibility requirements 
  4. Financial services are not tailored to meet the needs of people with disability 
  5. The formal financial system requires accessible public infrastructure to include people with disability.

What are the solutions?

Multi-stakeholder collaboration to counter stigma and attitudinal barriers is the starting point. Financial education and accessible assistive technology and ICT is essential as well as the physical environment of financial institutions. 

The title of the research article is, Financial inclusion for people with disability: a scoping review. 

From the conclusion

Access to financial services is a human right that seems to have been overlooked for people with disability. The push for financial inclusion of people with disability is a matter of economic strategy as well as a moral imperative rooted in justice and equity.

The financial sector’s landscape, shaped by innovations in ICT, provides an unparalleled opportunity to bridge the financial divide faced by people with disability. However, it will take more than technological advancements to solve the problems.

True financial inclusion necessitates a paradigm shift in attitudes, policies, and strategies. Our findings underscore the urgency to redesign financial systems that are accessible to all and cognisant of the preferences and needs of people with disability.

Addressing the multiple dimensions of financial exclusion of people with disability requires a comprehensive, multifaceted approach, integrating attitudinal change, ICT accessibility, and a commitment to disability justice. There is an emphatic call for banks, policymakers, and society to converge their efforts.

From the abstract

Financial exclusion is a human rights issue affecting health equity. Evidence demonstrates that financial exclusion is exacerbated for people with disability and those in low- to middle-income countries. Barriers to financial access include limited demand for services, banking inadequacies in catering to people with disability, and insufficiently accessible information technologies (ICT) and infrastructure.

Recommendations include using ICT, digital innovation and multi-stakeholder collaboration to address the financial barriers experienced by people with disability. These efforts, rooted in social justice, aim to include people with disability as valued financial sector participants, promoting health and equity.

 

Go-along techniques inform design

There’s nothing like getting instant feedback as people negotiate the built environment. Go-along techniques inform design because they really get to the key points. Some of the exclusions are only obvious when pointed out and that’s valuable information.

The go-along technique is where researchers walk with the participant and observe the barriers they experience as they encounter them. The dialogue that ensues provides rich information about design – how to do it and how not to do it.  

Image taken from the research paper 

Researchers in Sweden used this method and found there is an ongoing multifaceted exclusion of citizens in the built environment. This is despite current building regulations. Also, it doesn’t meet the aim of inclusion and international conventions. 

However, there are opportunities to change this with knowledge about enablers in the built environment. The researchers point universal design as an important planning variable to bring about change.  

The research paper has a lot of excellent information, much of which planners and disability advocates hear anecdotally. This paper documents the issues well and in detail. 

The necessary enablers

Benches, or seating were the most mentioned during the go-along activities. These are a decisive factor for spending a day in the city centre. People would walk more if they could also sit. 

Access to public toilets was also critical. Finding them, having access, and in some cases, navigating payment systems all pose problems. Again, another factor in visiting the city. 

People who live outside the city centre need flexible mobility systems – public transport, plus being able to use a car and then parking the car. 

Lighting in public places, clear signage and orientation board were also important along with handrails in challenging environments. 

Planning process needs a re-think

The researchers argue that there is an urgent need to rethink the planning processes to account for human diversity. It’s essential to move away from notions of an ‘average’ person or the idea of normal.

There is a gap between what building regulations state as accessible and the the lived experience of accessibility (or inaccessibility).  As the researchers say,

 “The pointing out of the necessary enablers is important knowledge to achieve accessibility also in an overall, entire-city-perspective. The concept and practice of Universal Design is a key to pursuing such a development.”

The title of the research paper is, Is the City Planned and Built for me? Photos highlight some of the key issues experienced by participants. There is a lot of really good information in this paper. 

Disability messaging guide

The Commons Social Change Library has a new guide for disability messaging. The guide has tips based on research which shows effective ways of building public support. The document was led by a steering committee of people with disability and messaging experts.

The guide is supported by Disability Action Network Australia (DANA), Centre for Australian Progress and Common Cause Australia. Access via The Commons Social Change Library or download in PDF.

Website banner for the disability messaging guide. Dark blue background with white text surrounded by a narrow yellow border.

Key content

The guide begins with a note about language and why they prefer the term “disabled people”. The introduction covers the messaging principles such as the audience and speaking from the frame of experience. The overarching themes for talking about disability are self-determination and diversity. This is followed by the 7 top tips.

  1. Story structure
  2. Design Frame
  3. Strengths language
  4. Our story, not theirs
  5. Bring NDIS back to values and benefits
  6. Build empathy with human stories
  7. Show change is possible
People on a fun run with two older adults being pushed in wheelchairs.

The guide has good examples to explain concepts and how to change old messages into ones that are more attuned to self determination. One example is to talk about being “led by disabled people” rather than “a seat at the table”. The reasoning is to replace inclusion and tokenism with self determination.

Another example is making passive sentences active. Rather than talk about how disabled people experience discrimination, say who is discriminating. And people like to be presented with solutions rather than problems so focus on these. 

The title is By Us, For Us: Disability Messaging Guide.