All but two of the photos in Central Coast Council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan were taken by me. Every NSW council is required by law to have one. As a photographer of nearly twenty years and the dad of an autistic, non-speaking son, helping our council show what inclusion looks like with real local people means a lot. A few of my short films will also screen at Gosford Regional Gallery.
All but two of the photos in Central Coast Council’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan are mine.
Why this one means more
I’ve spent nearly twenty years behind the lens. I’ve photographed a lot of things. This one means more than most.
My son Eden is autistic and non-speaking. So helping our council show what inclusion really looks like, with real people in our own community rather than stock photos, is something I’m genuinely proud of.
What a Disability Inclusion Action Plan is
Under the NSW Disability Inclusion Act 2014, every council in the state must have a Disability Inclusion Action Plan. It sets out how the council will remove barriers so people with disability can take part in community life: getting around, getting information, getting work, and being treated as part of the place they live.
Plans like these only work if people read them and hold councils to them. Look up your own council’s plan. You might be surprised what’s in it, and what isn’t.
Coming up: Gosford Regional Gallery
A few of my short films will be showing at Gosford Regional Gallery in East Gosford, beside the Japanese garden. Dates are coming soon. If you’re local, come down and say hello. I’d love to talk about What About Autism and what’s coming next.
Worth knowing
All NSW councils must have a Disability Inclusion Action Plan under the Disability Inclusion Act 2014. Councils had to have their first plans in place by 1 July 2017.
NSW DCJInclusion is easier to picture when people see themselves. Real local faces in a council document send a message stock photos can’t.
My viewShort films from What About Autism will screen at Gosford Regional Gallery, East Gosford. Dates to be announced.
UpdateQuestions people ask
What is a Disability Inclusion Action Plan?
It’s a plan every NSW council and government department must have under the Disability Inclusion Act 2014, setting out how they will make services, places, information and jobs accessible to people with disability.
Where are the What About Autism films being shown?
At Gosford Regional Gallery in East Gosford, NSW. Dates will be announced on the website and social pages.
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Sources
- NSW Department of Communities and Justice, Disability Inclusion Action Plans.
