Announcements - October 4, 2024
Bendigo promoting accessibility in the community
Pictured above: Volunteering Loddon Mallee Project Coordinator Dr Alistair Shaw (left), volunteer Jaylin Gifford, Intereach local area coordinator Nadine Robertson and Personnel Group community engagement coordinator Julie Gardner display the accessible stickers on the door of the Bendigo Intereach building.
Bendigo fosters inclusivity as it embraces a new initiative designed to help people of all abilities and mobility identify accessible businesses and spaces easily.
Access At A Glance (AAAG) is a free, no-obligation service that evaluates how businesses meet disability access and inclusion guidelines.
Businesses receive a range of stickers to display on their windows and doors that indicate their accessibility inclusions, making it easier for customers to check at a glance if they will have access and support. They also receive actionable advice for improvements to enhance the experience for everyone.
NDIS Partner in the Community Intereach in partnership with the Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre (BVRC) launched the program on 3 October with an assessment of Bendigo’s Intereach building.
We are committed to helping businesses identify accessibility improvements and creating a business community that can support customers and visitors alike in enjoying their shopping and service experience.
Yvette Buhagiar - Intereach Co-CEO
“Access At A Glance is an opportunity for businesses to better understand how small changes can make a huge difference when it comes to access and inclusion.”
Mrs Buhagiar said being an inclusive business benefitted everyone, not just people with disability, as it made the site more accessible for all, including people with prams, temporary injuries, and older people.
“It’s about providing products and services in a way that ensures people of all abilities are welcome and treated with equity and dignity,” she said.
“We want to help create an accessible Bendigo where everyone feels included, empowered, and welcome.
“The Bendigo Volunteer Resource Centre will be instrumental in delivering this program and we appreciate their support in this partnership.”
Volunteers from the BVRC have been trained to carry out the AAAG assessments and will be supported by Intereach local area coordination staff.
Dr Alistair Shaw, the Project Coordinator of Volunteering Loddon Mallee, a project of the BVRC, hopes the initiative will help to change attitudes by bringing people with lived experience of disability and business owners into greater contact with one another.
“We’re excited to be part of this initiative to help break down barriers and make our community more inclusive,” Dr Shaw said.
“The stickers are a striking symbol that businesses want to do better and seeing the stickers pop up across our region is a great demonstration of how people can contribute and show their commitment to be welcoming.
“Access At A Glance is proof of the power of volunteering and the benefits that contribute to society and the individual volunteer through people giving their time and helping each other out. In this case, the participants, volunteering their time, are developing all sorts of skills that help with their pathway.
“They’re also perhaps contributing to businesses thinking about things they might not have, and thus making the spaces in our community more accessible.”
Accessibility and inclusion benefits everyone, including:
- people with physical disability or injury (e.g. people who use wheelchairs, mobility aids such as mobility scooters, walking frames or crutches)
- people with vision or hearing impairment
- people with hidden disability
- carers of people with disability
- people with prams and strollers
- people with a learning difficulty, intellectual disability, or brain injury; and
- people who are frail.
For a free accessibility assessment for your business, contact the Bendigo Intereach office at 426 Hargreaves Street or 1300 488 226 or visit our website: Access At A Glance – Intereach
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