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The NSW Government acknowledges and appreciates the contribution of people with disability and the general community in developing this plan together.
We would also like to express appreciation for the advice of the members of the Disability Council NSW.
The commitments in this paper are drawn from multiple sources and reflect the feedback and discussions from across the disability sector, people with disability and the wider community.
The NSW Disability Inclusion Plan (NSW DIP) 2026-2029 sets out the key actions the NSW Government has committed to or will deliver to improve the lives of people with disability.
It is a requirement of section 10 of the Disability Inclusion Act 2014 (NSW) (the Act) and is underpinned by the principles and objectives of the Act.
The NSW DIP includes whole-of-government priorities and significant agency-led actions. It builds on the achievements of the NSW DIP 2021-2025.
Just as the Act requires the NSW Government to develop a State Disability Inclusion Plan, Public Authorities must develop Disability Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs). Public Authorities are NSW government departments, local councils and some other government entities.
Over recent years, there have been significant disability reforms at both a national and state level. As the policy landscape continues to evolve, so too will the work of the NSW Government to reduce barriers to inclusion for people with disability and deliver accessible services.
The NSW DIP supports Australia’s Disability Strategy's vision ‘for an inclusive Australian society that ensures people with disability can fulfil their potential, as equal members of the community’.
Disability can take many forms. It can be physical, mental, intellectual, neurological, and/or sensory. When combined with an inaccessible society, it can affect a person’s ability to participate in the same way as everyone else. Disability can be short-term or long-term, temporary or permanent, and can be present at birth or acquired later in life.
The social model of disability acknowledges that a person’s disability is not what is disabling. Instead, the barriers they experience are from a society made up of inaccessible physical spaces, attitudes, and communications. The NSW Government is committed to removing or reducing barriers so that people with disability can fully participate and contribute to their community.
The human rights model of disability emphasises that disability is natural and valid and that people with disability have the same rights as everyone else. In 2008, Australia agreed to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). This means the NSW Government and community have a responsibility to ensure people with disability can exercise their rights, make informed decisions, and have their dignity respected.
Together, these two models shape how the NSW Government works to build a more inclusive society. This includes actively involving people with lived experience of disability in the design of policies affecting them.
The NSW Government is also committed to combating ‘ableism’ which means prioritising the needs of people without disability and discriminating against people with disability.
It is important to recognise the diversity of people with disability.
Disability can intersect with other parts of a person’s identity including Aboriginality, gender, age, religion, cultural and linguistic background, sexuality, and more. This can result in multiple and compounding forms of discrimination which can lead to a person being further marginalised.
The Act recognises that many Aboriginal peoples with disability may face multiple disadvantage. It acknowledges that cultural, language and other differences may create barriers to accessing supports and services.
Women and children with disability are potentially more vulnerable to risk of abuse or exploitation. The Act also specifies that supports and services provided for LGBTIQ+ people with disability must be inclusive, culturally safe, and informed by ongoing, community-led engagement.
People with disability from multicultural communities, as well as members of the Deaf community, may also experience challenges accessing supports due to language and cultural barriers.
For people with disability living in regional, rural or remote communities, barriers often increase due to fewer services, transport options, reduced digital connectivity, and geographical distance.
Consultation and ongoing collaboration with people with disability must be embedded in the design and delivery of all policies, programs and services to truly understand the impact they have on all people with disability, so that intended outcomes can be achieved.
In the NSW DIP we use person-first language for example, ‘people with disability’. This is to focus on the person rather than their disability.
We acknowledge that many people prefer identity-first language, for example ‘disabled people’. It is also important to acknowledge that some people may prefer to identify with a community with a shared identity.
Similarly, Aboriginal peoples and multicultural communities may have a very different understanding of disability, and in many languages there is no word for disability in the way it’s broadly understood in English.
The NSW Government recognises and respects these individual and community preferences and will use them when applicable.
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