Evaluation of the Commonwealth Disability Strategy 

Policy advisors should:

• Reflect the current and changing needs and the diverse nature of people with disabilities and their role within the community, in the development and review of policy advice;
• Actively involve people with disabilities in the policy development and review process through direct participation or consultation;
• Assess and quantify the economic and social impact of policies on the lives of people with disabilities in the short, medium and longer terms; and
• Provide publicly available information in accessible formats as close of possible to the time information becomes generally available.

Performance is measured against the indicators:

• New or revised policy/program proposals assess the impact on the lives of people with disabilities prior to decision;
• People with disabilities are included in consultation about new or revised policy/program proposals; and
• Public announcements of new, revised or proposed policy/program initiatives are available in accessible formats for people with disabilities.

Regulators should:

• Ensure that publicly available information about the regulatory process and associated specifications is available in accessible formats and that its availability is promoted;
• Ensure that publicly available performance information is available in accessible formats and that its availability is promoted; and
• Provide accessible information at the same cost to consumers regardless of the format.

Performance is measured against the indicators:

• Publicly available information on regulations and quasiregulations available in accessible formats for people with disabilities; and
• Publicly available regulatory compliance reporting available in accessible formats for people with disabilities.

Purchasers should:

• Actively involve people with disabilities in the development of the purchase specifications where the purchase has a direct impact on people with disabilities' lives;
• Ensure purchase specifications and contract agreements/MOUs comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992;
• Promote the availability of and meet requests for accessible formats of publicly available performance data relating to purchase or contract performance requirements; and
• Ensure that grievance/complaints mechanisms, including access to external complaint procedures, are established so that people with disabilities can have their issues heard and addressed.

Performance is measured against the indicators:

• Processes for purchasing goods or services with a direct impact on the lives of people with disabilities are developed in consultation with people with disabilities;
• Purchasing specifications and contract requirements for the purchase of goods or services are consistent with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.;
• Publicly available information on agreed purchase specifications requested in accessible formats for people with disabilities is provided;
• Publicly available performance reporting against the purchase or contract specifications requested in accessible formats for people with disabilities is provided; and
• Complaints/grievance mechanisms, including access to external mechanisms, are available to address issues and concerns raised about providers' performance.

Providers should have:

• An understanding of, and capacity to, provide services needed by people with disabilities. This includes having a knowledge of people with disabilities' diverse needs with community and family life and an understanding of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992;
• Established mechanisms for quality assurance and quality improvement in place;
• A service charter that defines the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of both provider and consumer and includes service standards which address accessibility for people with disabilities;
• Established mechanisms for considering consumer satisfaction including for people with disabilities; and
• Established complaints/grievance mechanisms to address concerns raised by consumers, including people with disabilities.

Performance is measured against the indicators:

• Providers have established mechanisms for quality improvement and assurance;
• Providers have an established service charter that specifies the roles or the provider and consumer and service standards which address accessibility for people with disabilities; and
• Complaints/grievance mechanism, including access to external mechanisms, in place to address issues and concerns raised about performance.

Employers are require to ensure that:

• Employment policies and procedures for Government agencies comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992;
• Staff training and development programs (for example, induction, supervision, policy development, contract management, customers services):
  • - Incorporate education and information about the needs of people with disabilities as members of the wider community, consumers, customers and staff; and
  • - Are accessible to staff with disabilities.
• Departmental recruiters and managers apply principles of "reasonable adjustment";
• The on-going employment of people with disabilities must include some capacity to support the individual's changing needs and ability to pursue a career path; and
• Workplace strategies are in place to address attitudes inhibiting people with disabilities from securing and maintaining employment.

Performance is measured against the indicators:

• Employment policies and procedures comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992;
• Recruitment information for potential job applicants is available on request in accessible formats;
• "Reasonable adjustment" principles are applied by managers and recruiters;
• Training and development programs consider and respond to the needs of people with disabilities and include information on disability issues where they relate to the content of the program; and
• Complaints/grievance mechanism, including access to external mechanisms, in place to address issues and concerns raised by staff and public.