NDS welcomes the newly released State Disability Plan 2022-26 which outlines actions that it will take over the next four years to ensure that the community is inclusive and accessible for Victorians with disability. 

The plan outlines six systemic reforms, including a commitment to co-design with people with disability, Aboriginal self-determination, intersectional approaches, and universal design. 

It also strives to improve outcomes in 22 priority areas, which fall under the key pillars of Inclusive Communities: Health, Housing and Wellbeing; Fairness and Safety; and Opportunity and Pride. 

NDS welcomed the opportunity to participate in consultations and provide a submission to inform the development of the plan. We are pleased to see that commitments have been made to address many of the key issues raised within our submission. These include: 

• Activities and campaigns to improve community attitudes toward people with disabilities
• Supporting a high-quality National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIA) through advocacy to the Agency and Commonwealth Government
• Improving the accessibility of transport systems through the appointment of a chief accessibility advocate
• Committing to the application of universal design principles in the development of key infrastructure including health facilities, parks and sport and recreation facilities 
• Exploring ways to ensure health care professionals are well equipped to provide high-quality care to patients with disabilities
• Increasing the supply of housing which meets a minimum Silver Rating 
• Committing $1.6 billion to support disability inclusion reforms in Victorian Government schools 
• Making the justice system more accessible, safe, and inclusive for people with disability by improving the interface between the NDIS and justice system, and including people with disability in corrections policy and program design
  
• Building the capacity of the Victorian disability advocacy sector to better support the needs of all people with disability
  

NDS strongly welcomes several other key reforms. These include initiatives to build a skilled and sufficiently large disability workforce; a commitment to build 2,000 dwellings as supported housing for people living with mental illness, including people with psychosocial disability; an allocation of $30 million to upgrade and improve at least 450 government-owned specialist disability accommodation (SDA) dwellings; activities to promote emergency preparedness and response for people with disability; and a commitment to working with the sector and government agencies to address barriers to expression of sexual and gender identities in group homes. 

The challenge will be ensuring sustained investment and effective implementation of the many actions outlined in the Plan.

While we note that the previous state disability plan made some significant progress toward a fairer and more inclusive state, further work and funding is needed to create a truly inclusive state for all Victorians.