Dubbo Regional Council’s disability inclusion technical panel was announced back in April with the plan for it to provide advice for council on areas that needed to be upgraded to meet modern accessible standards. 

It’s great to see the number of people who put their hands up to be on the committee meant council had to increase the number of community participants from five to seven. 

It just shows you how much being a disability-inclusive city means to our community – and it’s wonderful to see. 

People with a disability make up around 20 per cent of the Australian population. In Dubbo there are 2500 people in the local government area who have a profound or severe disability and another 4500 who act as carers for a disabled person. 

This panel will affect the daily lives of each and every one of those people, plus more. As a accessible town the tourism avenue will open up more opportunities for local businesses and services. 

Based on previous reporting we suspect the gutters and footpaths will be the first thing to be addressed by the new panel. Though we are sure there is also a long list of other issues that need to be talked about as well. 

Someone in a wheelchair or using a walking stick would at the moment have trouble navigating the walkways and gutters around the town and getting from place to place. It’s not fair that some residents are able to easily navigate their way around, while others may be left unable to get to a place without proper access. 

Ramps are another issue, with some to steep for wheelchairs to navigate. 

The goal of this group is to ensure the community is developing positive attitudes and creating a more livable city for people with a disability. 

Equal access to employment within council and appropriate information services are also on the agenda for the new group. 

This technical panel isn’t the first step – council have been making progress around the city for a few years now – and it’s not the last. But it’s a good place to be in. 

And the plan for Dubbo to be the most accessible town in four years time – that’s something we are hoping for too.