Has your organisation implemented a Disability Action Plan?

If your organisation is committed to diversity and inclusion, it should consider developing a Disability Action Plan (DAP).

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) encourages organisations to develop DAPs to help eliminate disability discrimination and increase rights awareness of people with a disability. DAPs are not mandated by the law, but many organisations committed to diversity and inclusion choose to implement them.

A DAP serves to document an organisation’s strategy for identifying and addressing systems, policies and practices that may result in disability discrimination. The goal of a DAP is to support the practical achievement of accessible and inclusive workplaces and businesses.

A DAP is considered an organisation’s “blueprint for change” and according to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s (AHRC) Guidelines, it should be short, action-oriented, time-sensitive, and measurable.

Organisations can choose to register their DAP with the AHRC. The AHRC will publish the DAP on its website, promoting your organisation’s commitments and allowing other organisations to benchmark against them.

A registered DAP may also be relevant to legal claims against your organisation in certain circumstances, such as in the defence of discrimination claims, so they should be carefully considered and drafted.

Please contact our Employment, Discrimination and Equality team for more information about DAPs.