Disability plan ready for action

Date : 16 Mar 2009

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), in consultation with a variety of external organisations, has developed a disability action plan. 

‘The plan aims to strengthen access for people with a disability to all VLA services,’ said VLA Referrals, Access and Equity policy officer Carman Parsons.

‘Our key priority is to ensure VLA provides appropriate, respectful, easily understood and relevant legal information, advice and representation to people with a disability from all cultural groups. ‘

A disability may be physical, intellectual, sensory, neurological or a mental illness, explained Ms Parsons.

‘The experience of disability, however, is as much determined by environmental and attitudinal barriers as the physical or medical impairment.’

The plan’s four key objectives match those in VLA’s strategic plan:

• to increase the provision of quality legal aid services on an equitable basis throughout Victoria
• to build a workforce that is best equipped to achieve VLA’s objectives
• to develop and maximise VLA’s collaborative relationships with other organisations to improve access to justice for all
• to efficiently manage resources to best meet  objectives.

Planned actions include:

• revisiting VLA’s approach to its community education publications, both printed and online
• checking whether VLA phone lines are accessible to people with speech or hearing impairments
• reviewing duty lawyer and legal advice services to ensure they are accessible to people with a disability
• encouraging private practitioners to act for people with a disability through VLA grants of legal assistance.

The plan also addresses staff needs, committing VLA to be an organisation that is supportive of staff with a disability and one that encourages people with a disability to work at VLA.

‘A workplan will scope out the practicalities of implementing the actions,’ said Ms Parsons. ‘We have a broad timeframe of achieving our objectives by 2011.’

While a VLA disability advisory group will continue to meet to guide implementation of the plan, responsibility for achieving its objectives is shared across VLA.

Organisations involved in disability advocacy attended a forum in February 2009 to provide feedback on the plan. ‘Their input helped to refine the action plan,’ said Ms Parsons, citing the emphasis on the importance of disability awareness training for staff, better links with external stakeholders and community education initiatives targeting disability groups.

The VLA disability action plan, which complies with the Disability Services Act 2006 (Vic), will be launched during Law Week in May.

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