Accessibility and Inclusion Plan

Download the Accessibility and Inclusion Plan PDF

State Trustees’ (STL) Accessibility and Inclusion plan 2019-2021 outlines our commitment to be more accessible and inclusive for people with disability. If we are to achieve this commitment, we have a responsibility to the State of Victoria to address the barriers that hinder the access of many Victorians to the opportunities and services that will allow them to live the way they want and get the support they deserve.

The inaugural State Trustees Accessibility and Inclusion Plan 2019–2021 (‘the plan’) sets the standard for how we want to operate as a truly inclusive work, policy, and service environment. The organisation-wide plan, sets out a further range of actions across the organisation to reduce barriers for those with disability who need to access our services and facilities, and enhance employment opportunities with us.

The plan has been developed closely referencing the Absolutely Everyone – State disability plan 2017-2020¹ and our actions have been developed in consultation with State Trustees’ employees. Our accessibility and inclusion action plan exists to ensure we turn a critical and strategic eye to what we are doing to reduce barriers, promote inclusion, change attitudes and practices and improve outcomes for people with disability, when dealing with State Trustees.

The plan acknowledges and cements our commitment to improving the experience of our people and customers, celebrating the diversity they bring.

Current Initiatives and Forward Actions

Access to Service

State Trustees reduces barriers to people with disability that prevent them from accessing goods, services and facilities by:

• Ensuring all three of our permanent sites meet Australian Standard AS1428; Design for Access and Mobility.
• Developing a new website which is designed to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Accessibility Standard – AA compliance (launching in Mar/April 2019).
• Engaging AUSLAN interpreters for our events.
• Installing strobe lights in our Bendigo office as evacuation signals for the hearing-impaired.

We propose to undertake these additional actions over the next three years:

• Engaging with an agency to review our print material for accessibility.
• Reviewing installation of strobe lights in the Footscray and Dandenong Offices as evacuation signals for the hearing-impaired.
• Reviewing the possibility of assigning some of our parking spaces for disability parking.
• Rolling out Livechat on our new website post-launch.
• Reviewing all our client statements and standard letters for readability for people with disabilities.
• Producing all prints and materials in simple English.
• Adding subtitles to all our videos.

Equal Employment Opportunities

State Trustees reduces barriers to people with disability to support them becoming our employees by:

• Where possible, we will make the necessary workplace adjustments to accommodate our employees’ additional needs
• Ensuring all advertisements for jobs contain a statement encouraging people with additional needs to apply.
• Maintaining a Respect @ STL Policy, to ensure we create an environment that is free of discrimination.
• Providing E-Learning modules on the content of the policy to all employees annually

We propose to undertake these additional actions over the next three years:

• Conducting organisation-wide training on mental health.

Promoting Inclusion

State Trustees promotes inclusion of people with disabilities by:

• Promoting and sponsoring the annual Connected Art Exhibition for artists with disability or mental illness.

We propose to undertake these additional actions over the next three years:

• Investigating how we can incorporate the Victorian Government Social Procurement Framework into our procurement process.
• Engaging with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission to develop and provide training on human rights internally.

Changes in Attitudes and Practices

State Trustees acknowledges that inclusive workplaces² are places where:

• People can bring their whole selves to work and will be embraced.
• People are engaged and have a sense of belonging.
• People are valued for the contributions they make to the achievement of shared goals and objectives.
• Any form of discrimination is not welcomed.
• People are treated with respect and know what action they can take if they are discriminated against.
• People’s views and opinions are heard.
• There are support and services responding to the needs of all employees.

We propose to undertake these additional actions over the next three years:

• Creating additional opportunities for accessibility and inclusion.
• Continuing to promote STL’s diversity and inclusion related policies and plans.
• Developing and supporting diversity and accessibility Champions to resource and support our people.
• Improving STL’s executive team’s and managers awareness of, and capability to deal with, accessibility-related issues.
• Developing a diversity and accessibility strategy as part of STL’s People and Culture strategy.

Measuring and Reporting

During the 2020 financial year, State Trustees undertook or completed the following actions as part of our strategic approach to reducing barriers, changing attitudes and improving outcomes for our people, our clients and the wider community.

• Joined the Australian Network on Disability (AND) to improve both our stakeholder engagement and disability confidence
  • AND helps organisations develop the behaviours, attitudes, systems and knowledge to successfully engage with people with disability as employees, customers and stakeholders
• Engaged an external agency to review our print material for accessibility
• Reviewed client statements and standard letters for readability
• Produced print and digital materials in simple English
• Added subtitles to all new video materials

¹Absolutely everyone is the state disability plan 2017–2020 for the whole of the Victorian Government.

² Department of Premier and Cabinet: Achieving Tangible Changes in Attitudes and Practices which Discriminate Against Persons with Disability

State Trustees: Accessibility and Inclusion Plan – Version 3.0 8 March 2019