Policy Statement

When considering any matter concerning the lived-experience of employees, customers and visitors to VCET's centres, VCET will (subject to applicable law) adopt a social model of disability. It does this by:

• Seeking to adopt a social model of disability by considering barriers imposed by ingrained societal conventions and the physical environment, not just an individual’s medical experience—whether physical, mental, or developmental, apparent or invisible.
• Giving focus to the individual’s experience of disability wherever possible.
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement by capturing and applying learnings and new experiences to its processes, systems, and environment.
• Consulting with the disability community as required.

Responsibilities

Leadership: VCET’s Trust and leadership team are responsible for setting accessibility priorities, allocating resources, and fostering an accessible culture.

Employees: VCET employees are expected to contribute to accessibility efforts within their roles and report accessibility issues.

Accessibility Advisory Committee: VCET has established an Accessibility Advisory Committee. The Committee advises VCET on opportunities for improvement, informed by lived experience, and monitors the progress of VCET’s Accessibility Action Plan.

Accessibility Action Plan

As a Victorian public sector entity, VCET is required to create and maintain an Accessibility Action Plan, and report on its progress annually, as outlined under Section 38 of the Disability Act 2006 (Vic). The Plan supports this policy statement in practice.

VCET will review its Accessibility Action Plan regularly, and this Policy at a minimum once every two years, in addition to reporting on the progress of the Accessibility Action in the organisation’s Annual Report.