Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026 – 2030 Easy Read
Artwork by Alison Bathe
Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026 – 2030 Easy Read
About this document
This document was written by Shellharbour City Council.
When you see the word ‘we’, it means Shellharbour City Council.
We have written this information in an easy read way.
We use pictures to help explain ideas.
Some words are written in bold.
We explain what these words mean.
This Easy Read document is a summary of Shellharbour City Council's Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2026 - 2030.
This plan explains what we will do to support people with disability to live full and active lives.
You can ask for help to read this document. A friend, family member, or someone who helps you may be able to read it with you.
Words we use in this document
We want to make sure people with disability can access our community.
Access means that everyone is able to enter or use or take part in something.
We also want a community that supports inclusion.
Inclusion means that everyone is able to join and feel welcome.
We say “people with disability” because this puts people first.
Words we use in this document
The Dharawal people are the First Peoples of the Illawarra area.
The Dharawal people have always looked after Country.
Country means the land, water, sky and everything within them.
The Dharawal people have a deep bond with Country. We respect this.
And we respect their Elders from the past, now and future.
About this plan
We want people with disability to be included in all parts of community life.
We want people with disability to feel welcome and have their rights respected.
This plan explains what we will do over the next four years, from 2026 to 2030.
Message from the Mayor of Shellharbour and CEO of Shellharbour City Council
Welcome to Shellharbour City Council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan.
This plan is about making our city easier for everyone to use.
We would like to say thank you to everyone who helped make this plan including people with disability, their families and supporters.
Mayor of Shellharbour Chris Homer
Your ideas and what you know from your own life helped shape this plan.
It shows what we will do now and into the future.
Together, we can build a city that is welcoming, inclusive and fair for all.
CEO of Shellharbour City Council Wayde Peterson
Message from the Disability Access Inclusion Advisory Committee
The Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee speaks up for people with disability who live, work, or visit Shellharbour City.
We will call them The Committee.
The Committee has been working with Council for over 35 years.
The Committee helped develop this plan.
Members of The Committee
The Committee will also help make sure this plan is carried out.
In the past, people with disability were often left out. Other people made decisions for them. They did not get a say.
The Committee gives people with disability a voice in decisions that affect them.
Types of disabilities
There are many types of disability.
Disability is a natural part of human life.
Some people are born with disability.
Some come from an injury or illness.
Some disabilities are visible. Others are invisible.
Some people have more than one disability.
Some types of disabilities include:
- Sensory and speech
- Intellectual
- Brain injury
- Psychological
- Neurodiversity
How we understand disability
The Social Model
Society creates barriers that make life harder for people with disability.
Things like buildings that are hard to get into, people treating others unfairly, or unfair laws.
The Human Rights Model
People with disability have the same rights as everyone else. Disability is a normal part of life.
Government must keep these rights safe and help more people know about them.
Using both models helps us to find and remove the barriers people with disability face in our community.
Why we need this plan
Lots of people with disability live, work and visit Shellharbour.
People with disability have not always had the same chances to learn and work as other people.
More people with disability do not have a job, compared to people without disability.
Australia has laws about including people with disability. These laws say everyone must have the same chances in schools, work and the community.
Council wants to improve opportunities for everyone in the community.
How we made this plan
We talked to:
- People with disability
- Families and carers
- Service providers
- Staff at Council and Councillors
Councillors are people voted in to run Council.
We asked people to tell us what we can do better to make sure people with disability:
- Are included equally in community life
- Are treated fairly and listened to
- Feel safe
We talked to people in different ways:
- We asked people to answer questions online or on paper
- We held meetings
- We talked to people over the phone
- We used social media (apps like Facebook)
Our four focus areas
This plan has four focus areas
1. Welcoming communities
2. Better and safer communities
3. Work and independence
4. Services and systems
This plan explains what we will do to support people with disabilities to:
- Have their rights respected
- Feel safe
- Make their own choices and live the way they want
- Have access to better community services and systems
1. Welcoming communities
What we will do
Respect the rights of people with disability.
Help people feel welcome and safe.
Support people to make their own choices and live the way they want.
Make information easy to understand and available in different ways.
Listen to people with disability.
How we will do it
Train Council staff about disability, rights and inclusion.
Make places, services and events so everyone can use them.
Use clear language and different ways to communicate.
Talk with people with disability when making decisions.
Work with community groups to support inclusion.
2. Better and Safer Communities
What we will do:
Make places safe and easy to use.
Improve access to public places.
Help people feel safe in the community.
How we will do it:
Improve buildings, parks, beaches and public spaces.
Work with people with disability and community groups to improve access.
Make events and programs inclusive and welcoming.
Make sure parks have accessible paths and toilets.
Workplace and Independence
What we will do:
Support job opportunities for people with disability.
Create more ways for people with disability to work at Council.
Support businesses to provide jobs and training for people with disability.
Support businesses run or owned by people with disability.
How we will do it:
Train staff on how to support and include people with disability at work and look at ways we can hire more people with disability.
Support businesses to be more disability inclusive.
Work with groups and services that help people find jobs and live the way they want.
Buy from businesses run or owned by people with disability where possible.
4. Services and Systems
What we will do:
Help people find and use Council services.
Make sure we think about access, inclusion and rights when we make decisions.
Make information easy to understand and use.
Make it easier to fix problems with access.
How we will do it:
Share clear information about services, programs and events.
Talk with people with disability when making decisions.
Respect people’s rights in everything Council does.
Make it easy to report problems.
Make sure problems are followed up.
What happens next
We have made a list of the most important things we will do over the next four years.
All Council staff are responsible for making this happen.
The Committee and other community groups will help us check we are doing what we said we would do.
We will check that our actions are still the right ones and make changes if we need to.
Most actions will be paid for as part of Council’s normal budget.
To find out more:
Or call us on:
4221 6111
Last updated : Mon 31 Aug 2026