Support from FaHCSIA to ensure that the Disability Advocacy Standards and KPI’s are accessible to people with disability
A significant proportion of the agencies made suggestions as to how FaHCSIA could assist with the accessibility of the standards and KPIs. A number of the suggestions were mentioned by several agencies:
- Develop information in various accessible formats to
all people with disabilities (including intellectual disabilities and print
disabilities) (printed, audio, online, Braille)
- One agency offered for the documents to be scrutinised by a group of their members with an intellectual disability (9)
- Another agency suggested responses of the blind and vision impaired could be sounded out at their national conference (25)
- Another agency suggested providing funding so they can make available literature in appropriate formats showing how the agency adheres to the standards and KPIs (11)
- Another agency suggested use of pictures to communicate information about the standards (36)
- Plain English version of the standards, possibly with
illustrations (to ensure people with intellectual disabilities and limited
capacity can understand them)
- One agency offered to assist FAHCSIA in this and in developing suitable illustrations. The agency has produced a set of 11 Standards Posters for its office, using photographs to illustrate each standard, which clients find more interesting (20)
- Another agency also offered assistance (26)
- Ongoing consultation face to face, and ongoing opportunities for discussion/ feedback (2, 8, 12, 14, 29)
- Website funding
- A couple agencies suggested funding for their websites (13, 27), one indicated the funds would make a sound file of the standards available of their site
- Another agency suggested the standards be available on a website that all advocacy agencies would promote to consumers and other stakeholders (24)
- Availability of the standards in electronic format on websites that can be read by screen readers – as not all agencies have websites, FAHCSIA could make this available (26)
- Resources to promote the standards
- Might include booklets or posters available from FaHCSIA’s website. DSQ have developed resources and these may be useful rather than replicating other modes (2)
- Generic materials provided e.g. advocacy sector posters and pamphlets, signature /logo (16); a standard brochure for use across the program that sets out what expectations, rights and responsibilities are in place for people with disability using the advocacy support (27)
- Develop an Information Package in appropriate formats for people with disabilities to be disseminated by advocacy agencies (24)
- Funding for information sessions or workshops/ presentations , particularly in regional and sub-regional areas (6, 24)
Other suggestions were:
- Mentors to assist agencies in planning and implementation stages (2)
- promote clarity in advocate’s role (2)
- Community open days – supporting the agency to attend more community open days and fairs (13)
- Reporting processes to ensure access for people with disabilities to the standards (21)
- Training package FaHCSIA could develop a standardized national consumer training package to be delivered/ presented regularly by disability agencies to their consumers and other stakeholders (initial training for all agencies provided by FaHCSIA) (24)
- Multilingual standards available
- Communication channels one agency indicated willingness to assist FAHCSIA to promote the Standards and KPIs through their communication channels including radio and mailing lists (25)
Recommendation 7: That FaHCSIA develop a set of resources to ensure the Disability Advocacy Standards and KPIs are accessible to people with disability. Resources should include:
- The standards in various accessible formats, including Braille, audio and Plain English
- The standards in electronic format, for example, on FaCHSIA’s website
- Posters and/or pamphlets regarding the Standards.