Making Mosman a more inclusive community
Mosman Council is asking community members to participate in community consultation forums on Wednesday 14 September and to complete a brief on-line survey as it develops a plan to make Mosman more accessible and inclusive of people with disability.
Mayor of Mosman, Cr Peter Abelson highlighted the importance of hearing the views of people with disability, family members, carers, service providers and community members.
“Being included and connected in our community is a fundamental human need so we have started to identify the barriers that people with disability may face and the possible actions we can take to overcome these issues,” Cr Abelson said.
“The consultation follows the development of Council’s Access Strategy and Pedestrian Access and Mobility Plan and now we need to hear from the community if we have got it right, if we have missed anything and to find out their priorities for action.”
The consultation will focus on four main areas including:
- Improving attitudes in our community
- Making it easier to live in and get around
- Helping people to get good jobs and
- Improving our services.
Mosman teens Tavis, 14 and Kyle, 16, like their peers, enjoy going to the beach, movies, bushwalking and shopping with friends and having some time away from their parents. As regular members of Council’s Saturday Youth group, which provides recreational and social opportunities for young people with a disability in Mosman, they’ve been able to do that. (A Friday night group is also available for young adults with a disability.)
“The Saturday youth group for my son has been fantastic and it makes him feel proud that he can go somewhere without us which is important for a 14-year-old,” Tavis’s mother Linda Manzi said, highlighting the importance of local activities in developing a sense of belonging and inclusion for Tavis.
Kyle’s mother Nathalie Jaggard said: “Our son loves being part of his community … doing what his peers are up to … laughing and having fun.”
Council’s consultation follows a number of works to improve accessibility around Mosman including the installation of an accessible lift in Council’s Seniors Centre and upgrades to Balmoral toilets and Barry O’Keefe Library’s foyer and toilets as well as improvements to footpaths.
In addition to Council programs and services, Council is encouraging local community groups and members to actively include people with disability of all ages in their activities. Following the consultations, which feature an easy to read consultation guide to help facilitate feedback, a draft plan will be prepared and presented to Council for public exhibition.
For more information, including registering for the consultations and to read the consultation guide and complete the survey, go to yourvoicemosman.com.au/inclusivecommunity or phone 9978 4257.