Step by step guide for service providers
This step by step guide is designed specifically for Australian Government employment service providers but can be used by any other government or non-government service provider as well. Job Capacity Assessment providers can find the Department of Human Services guidelines using the link below (this link will open in a new window):
What is accessibility?
As a service provider, you have particular responsibility to make sure that your premises, goods, services and facilities are accessible to the people who wish to use them.
Accessibility refers to the ability for someone to enter your premises and make use of your services. It is about removing barriers so that everyone has equal access.
Accessibility and the law
It is unlawful in Australia to directly or indirectly discriminate against a person with a disability with regard to access and use of premises.
If you are an Australian Government employment service provider, you have particular contractual responsibilities in this area. You should consult the Fact Sheet entitled ‘Ensuring Access to Australian Government employment service providers and Job Capacity Assessment sites’ which is located on the Employment Services Network secure site or you should contact your departmental contract manager for further information about your contractual obligations (see Related Links).
Step 1—Assessing your current accessibility
The following online checklists can help you with the accessibility of your premises, goods, services and facilities. These checklists can help you assess whether your premises, goods, services and facilities are accessible to people with disability.
An accessibility auditor can also be engaged to assess the accessibility of your premises and facilities.
Accessibility auditors review your existing premises and facilities and identify the work that is required to provide appropriate access. Many auditors will also provide indicative costings, review plans for new developments, provide advice about compliance with the law and help you plan changes using a disability action plan.
The Association of Consultant in Access Australia, the national peak body for access consultants, provides a list of accessibility auditors (see Related Links).
Please note that the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations does not endorse or recommend any advice or assistance you or your organisation may seek in order to fulfil legislative or other obligations.
Step 2—Documenting any issues
After completing an assessment of your accessibility, you should document any areas of non-compliance or concern.
For Australian Government employment service providers, the results of the checklist should be discussed with your contract manager within the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Step 3—Developing a plan of action
There may be some barriers that you can remove immediately. For those barriers that you cannot remove immediately, you should plan and document the way forward.
A disability action plan is a way for an organisation to plan the removal, as far as possible, of discrimination against people with disability. An action plan identifies ways that you can ensure that your goods, services and facilities are accessible and non-discriminatory to people with disability.
You can discuss the plan and its contents directly with the Australian Human Rights Commission. They may ask for:
- a description of the issue of inaccessibility
- action you have taken to redress the issue
- timeframe of potential resolution of the issue and proposed interim arrangements so that people may still access your premises and related services and amenities.
The Australian Government employment service providers can ask for assistance from their departmental contract managers. Depending on the nature of the issue of non-compliance, your contract manager may suggest you submit an accessibility or disability action plan to the Australia Human Rights Commission.
Step 4—Setting in place interim solutions
Some of the changes that are required may be fairly straightforward. Others may take longer to implement. While you are implementing the permanent changes documented in your action plan, you should consider interim solutions.
When an organisation delivers programs and services on behalf of the Commonwealth, ‘unjustifiable hardship’ is not a defence under the Disability Discrimination Act.
The Australian Human Rights Commission accepts that in some circumstances and localities, issues that require reasonable adjustment to ensure accessibility may depend upon other factors such as availability of other premises which may meet the legislative requirements.
Your business may have unsuitable access for interview purposes, for example. To continue interviewing, you may wish to arrange an alternative venue for interviews until you are able to address the lack of access in your own building.
You must document how you are addressing the issue in your action plan and make sure that your departmental contract manager is aware of the interim arrangements.
Step 5—Making changes
Whether the change is simple and straightforward or requires longer term commitment, there is help available.
Our Workplace Adjustment Tool has a range of ideas for improving access to your premises and you can discuss these products and solutions with experts, the JobAccess Advisers, free of charge. The tool provides links to disability awareness training providers, deaf awareness training providers, Auslan interpreters, alternative format services and more.
For other changes, you may wish to seek advice from an access consultant, architect or building professional.
Step 6—Ongoing improvement
Accessibility is not a set-and-forget thing. You should review your premises, goods, services and facilities at regular intervals to ensure that your organisation and services remain barrier-free.
We recommend that you assess your premises regularly using the checklists and related guides to make sure your accessibility is maintained.
More information?
The following websites will open in a new window:
Building specifications and requirements
Disability advocacy and peak organisations
Legal contacts
Other checklists
Website accessibility
Acknowledgements
We acknowledge and thank the Department of Human Services for permission to use the checklist. We also acknowledge and thank the Australian Human Rights Commission for their input and assistance in making this how to guide and the related checklists available on JobAccess.