A think tank was held at the Inverell Shire Council Public Library on Tuesday as part of the 21st anniversary of the International Day Of People With Disability.
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The meeting was organised by IAS Accessibility Group quality co-ordinator Melanie Williams and attended by about 20 people, including Inverell Shire Council’s director corporate and economic, Ken Beddie, and Cr Jackie Watts.
The group showed the meeting a video shot by IAS members that highlighted some of the parking challenges faced by disabled people during their everyday activities.
It demonstrated the need for a rethink on the placing and specifications of some current disabled parking spaces.
Ms Williams told the meeting that Inverell had been planned very well and that the infrastructure is already there.
“The key to this is that we have some great accessibility opportunities,” she said.
“People in this room have a wealth of knowledge from their day-to-day use of the facilities … it’s a good opportunity for future planning.”
It was a point not lost on both council representatives who said they took a great deal to think about away from the meeting.
“It provided council with a whole range of information to take back, which can be incorporated into our planning, particularly the CBD Redevelop-ment Plan,” Mr Beddie said.
“The main one is around the pram and wheelchair ramps in the disabled parks and the need for those to be reconfigured, and also the disabled access play facilities.
“There were some good ideas presented on what’s available in other locations.”
Cr Watts said she thought the meeting was a good forum for clients of the different groups that were there and people who have mobility issues to be able to speak up for themselves.
“To let people on the ground show us just what challenges they face each day … I thought it was very helpful,” Cr Watts said.
“Parking issues are a challenge, because council always want as many parking places in their CBD as possible and quite obviously disabled parking requires more than one space.
“I certainly think they have opened the door when it comes to having discussions about development and when it comes to looking at the CBD.”
