Minute Item Attachments of Disability Advisory Panel

Disability Advisory Panel

22 August 2022

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Auckland Council

Auckland Council Disability and Accessibility Action Update

Headshot of Dr Claudia Wyss.

Welcome to the Disability Operational Action Plan Newsletter

Tēnā koutou katoa,

Nau mai, haere mai! Welcome to this first edition of the Disability Operational Action Plan Newsletter. This is a momentous moment for those involved in the DOAP and a digital publication that the team, and I, take great pride in.

Since 2016, the Disability Operational Action Plan has been an important tool in the council kete to record and evaluate the tangible activities to improve access for all communities across Tāmaki Makaurau. The Plan keeps us focussed and accountable, ensuring that ours is a city where everyone can access, enjoy and fully participate in all areas of community and civic life.

As the Director of Customer and Community Services, I’m proud to have been appointed the executive sponsor of this important Plan earlier this year. Our directorate has a wide range of front facing services and more than 440 facilities - I look forward to improving our community connections and continuing to share in the great mahi that our colleagues at council undertake.

The DOAP is an important part of our journey to building an inclusive and accessible Tāmaki Makaurau. We will celebrate our milestones and achievements, while also striving to continuously improve our approach.

Ko te pae tawhiti, whāia kia tata

Ko te pae tata, whakamaua kia tina.

Seek out distant horizons and cherish those you attain.

Ngā mihi,

Dr Claudia Wyss

Director Customer and Community Services

August 2022 Update

Auckland Council aims to create a city where everyone can access, enjoy and fully participate in all areas of community and civic life.

Our Disability Operational Action Plan covers four themes:

· Theme 1: Creating accessible buildings, places and spaces

· Theme 2: Knowledge, communications and engagement

· Theme 3: Events and services

· Theme 4: Our workplace

Every three months council teams report on their actions, below are some highlights from the latest report:

· Auckland Emergency Management and Deaf Aotearoa have partnered together to produce a NZ Sign Language booklet - 25 Signs for Emergencies, that was launched during NZSL Week (9-15 May 2022). This booklet gives our communities new ways to communicate and ensure that everyone understands and can take the right actions to be prepared and ready for an emergency. Further details can be found on the Auckland Emergency Management website.

· The Vote Auckland website is now live. This site includes content translated into eight different languages, including New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL). There is a dedicated extension number on the Blind Low Vision NZ telephone service (09 302 3344 ext 41151) that takes users directly to our assisted participation narrated information that explains how to access the service for Auckland local elections.

· Auckland Council Libraries partnership with Blind Low Vision NZ has continued over the last three years and has evolved to focus on our online platforms for our blind and low vision customers. Recently, updates have been implemented by the Auckland Libraries Digital content team with changes made to our eBook 'Libby' app's accessibility features.

· Software updates continue to be implemented by the Auckland Libraries Digital content team. Ongoing changes to our app's accessibility features reflect those of Overdrive and improve the performance of the app for those experiencing issues.

· Our Digital Communications teams have undertaken new Accessible Communications training. This will enhance digital offerings across all of council. We are committed to embedding accessibility as part of all current and future digital upgrade projects.

· An accessible beach mat was funded by local philanthropists and installed as a trial at Takapuna Beach over the 2020 and 2021 summer periods. The location for the mat has had some challenges with shifting sand, the location of a stormwater outlet and other environmental factors. The local board has funded an investigation into identifying a more suitable location for an accessible beach mat on Takapuna Beach. This work will be started this financial year.

· The Universal Design team continues to engage with Eke Panuku regarding city centre and town centre developments and opportunities for improving accessibility and universal design. New Universal Design Checklists have also been created for cafe and restaurant guidance.

· Four centers have been selected (West Wave, Lloyd Elsmore Pool, Otara pool and Leisure Centre, Albany Stadium Pool) for audit. Audits are now complete, with progress underway in getting results presented back to the centres.

· As part of a newly launched partnership with Will and Able, Auckland Council is launching a new waste reduction initiative where we collect and return our empty milk bottles directly to Will and Able for them to recycle into new bottles. Will and Able create jobs for disabled Aucklanders.

Three people of diverse ages, gender and ethnicity to encourage a wide range of people to stand for local elections. All are smiling and dressed in business or business casual attire.

Local Elections 2022

Our next local election is on Saturday 8 October 2022. Elections are held every three years by postal vote. Voting closes at 12 noon on 8 October 2022.

Assisted participation

If you are eligible to vote or be a candidate, and are unable to complete your voting documents unassisted, you can request help from us. Visit our assisted voting page for more information.

An assisted nominations service was open for the nominations period (15 July - 12 August). Assisted voting will open during the voting period (16 September - 8 October). Both services have been promoted via voteauckland.co.nz and partners. The services are free of charge.

NZSL resources

You can view the important information about local elections in NZSL page for videos that feature information on becoming a candidate and the election process. Work is underway to ensure electoral candidate profiles on the Vote Auckland website will have fully accessible content. This will include NZSL translations and audio narrations via the Blind Low Vision NZ telephone information service (09 302 3344 ext 41151) for hearing and vision impaired customers.

Universal Design

Creating buildings, spaces and places that can be used and enjoyed by all.

Universal design is design for inclusivity and independence. A universal design approach recognises human diversity and designs for life scenarios, such as pregnancy, childhood, injury, disability and old age.

View all our Universal Guidance on the Auckland Design Manual website.

Te Pua / Keith Park – Nau mai, Haere mai Let’s Play Together

The universal design team is working closely with the parks team to develop an enhanced accessibility checklist for parks and has published an article in The Journal of Public Space in June 2022. You can read the article here. The team has also recently updated the Accessible Space Dimensions document, which is about designing for a wide range of people and the spaces that they need to move about.

25 SIGNS TO LEARN FOR EMERGENCIES

We want all our communities to be included when it comes to supporting one another during an emergency. Learn these signs and use them as often as you can.

Our new booklet could help you learn basic sign language to communicate with your deaf neighbours, friend and whānau during an emergency. This means you will feel more confident and capable of communicating in various situations with all members of the community.

Read the resource online, and learn through the video resources on NZSL Week website.

Illustration inside yellow bubble saying "I am Deaf. Let's Talk".

Auckland Council Local Board

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