Stories - December 13, 2024
Intereach addresses access barriers during Social Inclusion Week
Above: WARG members from Intereach, Wagga Wagga City Council, Guide Dogs, Hospital at Home, Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN), Wagga Business Chamber and Regional Disability Advocacy Network (RDAS).
Intereach has highlighted access barriers in Wagga Wagga to help drive change as part of Social Inclusion Week.
The organisation, along with Regional Disability Advocacy Service and Wagga Wagga City Council, are founding members of the Wagga Access Reference Group (WARG), which aims to improve access for all people by identifying obstacles and providing practical solutions to address them.
WARG invited key community members to join members for a walk and talk along Peter Street – a rapidly evolving precinct for disability, health, ageing, and rehabilitation services – to generate meaningful conversations about improving the city’s infrastructure.
With nearly 4000 people living with disability in Wagga Wagga, along with our ageing population, future proofing for our city is essential.
Kerein Mullins - Intereach local area coordinator and WARG member
“We have been engaging with Wagga Wagga City Council this year to map the areas of concern but feel highlighting the change needed to a wider audience would be beneficial.”
Hospital at Home provided mobility equipment and Guide Dogs Australia shared vision aids for participants to experience the challenges firsthand.
During the event, members of the public shared their appreciation and personal stories, with one passerby remarking “Thank you so much for fighting for access for us”.
Another added, “Thank you, this is much needed. I use a cane now and due to my disability will need to use a mobility device at some stage to go out into the community”.
The initiative aligns with all four key areas of the Wagga Wagga City Council’s All Abilities Inclusion Action Plan.
“Our hope is that the conversations we continue to have will keep issues of access front and centre and those in attendance can help champion our cause for access for all,” Ms Mullins said.
As an NDIS Partner in the Community, Intereach provides local area coordination services and delivers the Early Childhood approach across the Loddon, Murrumbidgee, Mallee and Goulburn areas.
We link people with disability, their families and carers to the NDIS, provide information, help them exercise choice and control over their supports and work to make the community more inclusive for people with disability. More information at People with Disability – Intereach
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