Public Sector Commission Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2021-2026

Integrating access and inclusion in everything we do is key to being a truly contemporary organisation and, in our context, helping deliver on our remit to shape, build and regulate the public sector.

This plan includes initiatives to support people with disability – our staff, our clients and our stakeholders – and builds on improvements we have made over time on access and inclusion.

It aligns with the seven areas detailed in the Disability Services Act 1993: services and events, buildings and facilities, information, quality of service, complaints, consultation processes and employment.

It also supports the sectorwide Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy for WA Public Sector Employment 2020–2025 and the accompanying action plan for people with disability.

Our plan has a range of concrete actions to implement over time. Each action is important in itself and together the actions signal the way we want our agency to operate and the way we want to contribute to the Western Australian community through our work.

We want our policies and practices to be accessible and flexible, and to support people with disability. We want our staff to experience a sense of belonging and inclusion in their work environment. That’s why we have built this plan with their input and ideas – and we will continue to work with those who can help us achieve more and take advantage of opportunities as they emerge.

Each of us in the Commission has a role to play in making sure these actions are delivered. Each of us also has a role to play in embracing the broader intent of this plan and the way it shapes our work going forward.

Sharyn O’Neill
Public Sector Commissioner

The rights of people with disability are protected by Australian and Western Australian legislation which make it unlawful to discriminate against people with disability and ensure they have the same opportunities and choices as the rest of the community.

In developing this plan, we worked with our staff who have disability access and inclusion knowledge through lived experiences and those who have this knowledge in their professional capacity.

We reviewed the Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy for WA Public Sector Employment 2020–2025, People with Disability: Action Plan to Improve WA Public Sector Employment Outcomes 2020–2025, our previous disability access and inclusion plan as well as our Workforce and Diversity Plan 2020–2022 to identify achievements and areas of focus.

We sought feedback from the Department of Communities, peak representative bodies including the National Disability Services and six disability employment providers, and the Western Australian community. 

We have taken the definition of people with disability – those who identify as having a mild or moderate core activity limitation – from the People with Disability Action Plan.

We will implement our plan over the next five years to 2026. Each priority area includes who is responsible for the actions, timeframe for implementation, expected outcomes and basis for monitoring and evaluating.

Our Human Resources branch will monitor progress against each action, evaluate the trends, identify areas for improvement and provide a report to the Commission’s Corporate Executive twice a year. We will also report on progress through our annual report to Parliament.

The plan is available to our staff, agents and contractors, and all Western Australians. It can be made available in alternate formats by telephoning us on 08 6552 8745 or email.  

Since implementing our first plan in 2010, we have made strong progress in having services, information and facilities accessible and inclusive for staff, clients and stakeholders with disability.

We have:

• consulted with peak representative bodies and stakeholders, including people with disability, when developing the Workforce Diversification and Inclusion Strategy for WA Public Sector Employment 2020–2025 and the supporting People with Disability Action Plan to Improve WA Public Sector Employment Outcomes 2020-2025 and Recruiting for and Developing Diverse Talent in the Public Sector
• formed a pilot partnership with the National Disability Services (NDS) and eight agencies to build disability employment confidence and improve employment outcomes for people with disability
• coordinated and funded a pilot sectorwide adult people with disability traineeship
• piloted a cadetship with Edith Cowan University for five cadetship opportunities for final year undergraduate students with disability
• supported a trainee with disability to attain Certificates II and III in Government and a period of employment as a Level 1 administration officer
• ensured new systems meet WCAG 2.0 level AA requirements and had a staff member with disability (visual impairment) test software for accessibility
• ensured content on the WA.gov.au website meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level AA requirements
• provided mental health first aid training to our staff
• facilitated return to work programs for staff with disability
• provided ergonomic assessments for staff to identify individual accessibility requirements
• requested training facilitators modify their delivery, as required, to support participants with disability
• used Mental Health Week and International Day of People with Disability to provide information and support to staff
• trained our fire wardens in evacuation procedures, including for staff and visitors with disability and mobility considerations
• reviewed our feedback and complaints management procedures, taking into account the requirements of people with disability.

In the Commission, we have challenges in relation to disability access and inclusion. With a small workforce, it is sometimes difficult to meet representation targets and improve our equity index[1].

Single movements in a diversity group can see us either exceeding or not meeting these targets. These challenges have helped inform priorities and actions for the next five years.

Outcomes for the Commission are listed in full in the PDF below.