The challenge at hand

The Victorian Department of Transport committed to developing a Transport Accessibility Strategy with a diverse range of people with disability from across Victoria.

The purpose of the Strategy was to identify the key activities to be undertaken to improve the accessibility of Victoria’s transport system as well as support compliance with the Commonwealth Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport.

The development of the Strategy represented the first time that the Department of Transport had engaged in a process to elevate the voice and input of people with disability within a central strategy. The purpose for doing so was to ensure that all future decisions relating to the transport system were driven by the needs of people with disability.

How we helped

Working in partnership with leading disability advocates, Impact Co. facilitated 11 co-design workshops, conducted 7 interviews and 6 focus groups with 87 people with disability to identify the key activities to improve the accessibility and inclusivity of Victoria’s transport system to help inform the Strategy. Participants included people with disability, disability advocates, elderly people, and members of the community on Accessibility Reference Groups.

The impact

The project culminated in the development of a co-designed Strategy that will be used to underpin the transport system’s transformation to an accessible and inclusive system.