State Disability Plan process must genuinely include people with lived experience

Greens spokesperson for Disability Hon Alison Xamon MLC has welcomed a commitment from the Government that it will develop a State Disability Plan, but says it is vital people with lived experience be involved throughout the design and implementation process.

Ms Xamon said she was pleased calls from the Disability sector for a long-term plan had been answered, particularly in light of worrying trends relating to inclusion for people with disability in WA.

“People with a disability continue to be excluded from infrastructure and services,” Ms Xamon said.

“The number of people with disabilities employed in the public sector, for example, is decreasing.

“We should be getting better at ensuring accessibility and inclusion, not worse.”

Ms Xamon said there had been much focus on the NDIS and its roll-out, but it crucial that our community cater for everyone, regardless of whether people are eligible for NDIS funding.

She said the voices of those with lived experience and the Disability sector must be heard, both in implementing the plan and more broadly.

“It is imperative that there is genuine engagement with people with a disability and their representative organisations,” Ms Xamon said.

“People with lived experience should be framing issues and developing responses to them.”