Disability Action Plan 2009-2013
Arts Victoria's commitment
Arts Victoria Disability Action Plan (DAP) reflects Arts Victoria's commitment to ensuring that its policies, programs and services are accessible and responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.
Arts Victoria is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities are involved in its consultative processes and to maximising the opportunities for people with disabilities to be involved in the Arts industry - as Board members of organisations, as employees, participants or audience members.
The DAP demonstrates Arts Victoria's role as an industry leader in the role of disability awareness in the Arts. As such, Arts Victoria encourages its clients, agencies, and funded organisations to develop Disability Awareness Training Programs and Disability Action Plans.
For more information on Disability Action Planning including a raft of resources such as frequently asked questions and aDAPting to Disability - a checklist please go to the Office for Disability website. and Office for Disability resources section and Department of Human Services - Disability Services.
Arts Access provides access to the arts for people with a disability and those who are disadvantaged. Are you an arts organisation interested in exploring easy ways to include with people with disabilities as both artists and audience members? Do you need to develop a Disability Action Plan? Find out more by going to Arts Access.
Background
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) came into effect in Australia in July 1992. Its purpose was to underscore that discrimination on the basis of disability is unlawful. The Act recognises that people with a disability have the same fundamental rights as other people and have equal opportunity to have access to and participate in community life. The Act provides protection for everyone in Australia against discrimination based on disability. It is a means of ensuring that people with disabilities are treated as equally as those people without a disability and includes the provision of goods and services, access to building and employment.
The Victorian State Government has a progressive social framework which aims to create a fairer, more equitable and just society with strong underpinnings of citizenship. This is a vision of an inclusive community that balances economic, social and environmental actions, benefiting all Victorians by expanding their opportunities and improving their quality of life. These sentiments are reflected in the following range of State Government policy frameworks:
Definition of disability
Disability is a broad term that is applied to a diverse range of people. Each individual's experience of disability is unique and can be influenced by age, cause, attitude, family or cultural background, opportunity, adjustment to physical, sensory and other factors.
Definition includes a disability that the person:
- has now
- had in the past
- may have in the future, or
- is believed to have
Less favourable treatment of somebody because of his or her disability is discrimination.
Disability is defined in the Disability Discrimination Act
A disability includes:
- total or partial loss of a bodily or intellectual function, e.g. quadriplegia, epilepsy, acquired brain injury, polio, spina bifida, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis
- total or partial loss of a part of the body
- presence in the body of organisms causing disease or illness, e.g. HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, cancer
- presence in the body of organisms capable of causing disease or illness, e.g. asthma, allergies
- condition which results in a person learning differently e.g. intellectual disability, dyslexia
- disorder, illness or disease that affects a person's thought processes or which results in disturbed behaviour, e.g. psychiatric disability.
Goals of Arts Victoria with regard to inclusion
- Arts for all Victorians: a culture of participation;
- On the threshold: an economy based on innovation; and
- Creative place: a dynamic arts sector
All of these goals aim to foster an environment of inclusion in the arts sector.
Strategies include:
- Developing artists ideas and knowledge
- Engaging creative communities;
- Building creative industries; and
- Creating place and space
The Disability Action Plan 2001
Arts Victoria's first Disability Action Plan was released in 2001 and focussed mainly on Arts Victoria's operations. In furthering the objectives of the 2001 Plan, Arts Victoria is committed to its leadership role encouraging the development of DAPs across the sector.
Successes since the release of Arts Victoria's first Disability Action Plan in 2001 include:
- improved networks and partnerships;
- increased support for arts companies and artists with disabilities;
- funding to increase programming e.g. 'the Other Film Festival';
- project evaluation - Strengthening Local Communities (2006);
- awareness raising
- provision of staff disability awareness training within Arts Victoria;
- recognition of Arts Victoria's Disability Action Plan (2001) as a benchmark for other departments;
- promotion of Inclusive programming for the International Day of People with a Disability;
- support for venues through the Capital Infrastructure Fund to improve facilities;
- ensuring inclusion objectives were included in the Commonwealth Games Festival (through Victorian State Government's Round Table on Inclusive Arts, Tourism, Sport and Recreation for People with a Disability);
- increased support for Arts Access and the Arts Access Arts Industry Reference Group;
- hosting a joint Arts and Disability Access Network with the Department of Human Services, Office for Disability and cultural peak body organisations;
- modifications to Arts Victoria premises;
- appointment of an Arts Victoria Policy Officer position with responsibility for arts and disability;
- adoption of inclusive workplace / employment practise at Arts Victoria.
Arts Victoria, in conjunction with the Office for Disability (Department for Community and Development) and Disability Services (Department of Human Services) have commissioned an Arts and Disability Research Project which aims to define barriers and strategies to ensure access and inclusion in a range of art contexts.
Arts Access has been instrumental in the provision of staff training and development of the new plan.
The Office for Disability provides support for the development of Disability Action Plans within Arts Victoria and within the Arts Agencies.
Download Arts Victoria's Disability Action Plan (DOC, 116KB) (Word 120KB)