Partner with disability specialists
Disability specialists and disability organisations can help in many ways. They are important if you are consulting with or about people with disability. Consider what services you need, find the right person or group, and be prepared to work together.
Potential benefits
Disability specialists and disability organisations can help in many ways, including:
- improving accessibility within the design or delivery of your activity
- supporting the recruitment of other participants with disability or their allies
- facilitating sessions with people with disability
- providing advice and additional insight to the project team
- building trusted relationships with participants.
Who to contact
When making the decision to partner with disability specialists, consider:
- whether the project could create trauma or cause participants to re-experience past trauma
- how you intend to support trauma-informed practice
- the level of skill, experience, and cultural understanding within the project team. Is your team equipped to create culturally appropriate, trauma-informed, safe spaces for the cohort you are seeking to engage?
- the purpose of the project
- the activities you intend to run
- the impact on the disability (and broader) community
- the benefit for the disability community
- the duration of the activity
- the recruitment of participants
- the approach to facilitation
- other logistics of running the activity.
Types of organisations
Based on the services you need, you may need to determine what type of disability specialists you require. There are several different types of organisations offering their expertise.
- Accessibility auditors check that your products, systems, and locations work for people with different accessibility needs. These are commonly digital, but may include physical spaces, such as building accessibility assessments. Find organisations led by people with disability or that test with people with disability.
- Accessibility service providers can provide equipment or services to increase the accessibility of your engagement. They could include interpreters, Easy Read translators or assistive technology providers. Many disability representative organisations and disability advocacy organisations publish lists of preferred accessibility service providers.
- Disability advisory groups act on behalf of specific disability groups. All states and territories have disability advisory groups. These groups provide advice and insight on government policy and programs that affect people with disability.
- Disability advocates may support a particular cause or change for themselves, for other people, or for a group of people with disability. Advocates may give you information or write submissions, advice and more.
- National disability representative organisations are select groups that communicate to the government for systemic advocacy and representation for people with disability in Australia.
- Peer support groups are led by people with disability and can be tailored to specific groups. There are a range of peer-led groups and organisations in Australia that are equipped to engage their members.
- Professional facilitators or co-facilitators with disability work with you to lead or support the activity. They may act as the presenter, guide the conversation, explain things, ask questions, and/or write notes. You would then Collaborate with or Empower them as part of your IAP2 Spectrum project.
- Sensitivity readers are people with disability who work with you before publishing to read and check your content for bias, offence, or harm.
Relevant pages
Context: Define the level of participation
Advocacy groups (Disability Gateway)
Key actions under the strategy (Disability Gateway)
National disability representative organisations (Department of Social Services [DSS])
List of agencies funded under the National Disability Advocacy Program (DSS)
Disability advocacy organisations (Australian Federation of Disability Organisations)
Manual and checklist (ACT Inclusion Council)
Access and inclusion for businesses (Eurobodalla Shire Council)
Accessibility auditing (Government of South Australia)
Accessibility audit (Vision Australia)
How to seek partnership
Please keep in mind that many disability organisations receive more requests for assistance than they have the capacity to accept. You should:
- Search for the relevant disability representative organisation. What kind of expertise do you need? Which group of people do you have in mind?
- Contact potential specialists early, but respect that a partnership may not be possible.
- Ask and give partners what they need from you.
- Discuss what services or expertise you require and the cost.
- Ask for suggestions of other organisations or individuals with similar expertise.