Disability Action Plan

The NGV is a place for everyone.

The NGV acknowledges the critical importance of providing equitable access to all visitors, including Deaf and Disabled people, and recognises the contributions made by Deaf and Disabled people to our society as creatives and employees.

This Disability Action Plan has been endorsed by Arts Access Victoria.

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Context

The 2024 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) report Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings states that 5.5 million Australians had a disability in the 2022 Census, which represents 21.4% of the population. In addition, based on the National Health Survey, the ABS estimates that 12.7 million Australians have at least one of ten selected chronic conditions in 2022.

The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) applies across Australia. Its purpose includes the elimination, as far as possible, of discrimination against people with disabilities in a range of areas, including employment, education, access to premises, clubs and sport and the provision of goods, facilities and services.

The DDA makes it unlawful to discriminate because of disabilities which:

people have now, or which previously existed but no longer exist.
people may acquire in the future.
are imputed to a person.

The DDA also protects a person with a disability against discrimination when:

they are accompanied by an assistant, interpreter or reader.
they are accompanied by an animal trained to alleviate the disability (e.g. guide dog).
they use equipment or aids (e.g. hearing aids).

The DDA also makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person because of a disability of their associates, such as relatives, partners or carers, or business, sporting or recreational associates.

The Disability Act 2006 (Victoria) provides the framework for a whole-of-government approach to enable people with a disability to actively participate in community life. Section 38 (1) of the Act specifies that a Disability Action Plan is prepared for the purposes of:

reducing barriers to persons with a disability accessing goods, services and facilities.
reducing barriers to persons with a disability obtaining and maintaining employment.
promoting inclusion and participation in the community of persons with a disability.
achieving tangible changes in attitudes and practice which discriminate against persons with a disability.

In addition to its obligations under the DDA and the Disability Act 2006, the NGV is committed to upholding the principles of the social model of disability which recognises that people are disabled by the barriers – environmental, sensory and social – present in society, not solely by their impairments or differences. By embracing the social model of disability, we affirm our commitment to building a more inclusive society.

Application

In a commitment to continued improvement to inclusion and accessibility, the NGV Disability Action Plan (DAP) 2026–29 consolidates and builds on progress made in previous Disability Action Plans, whilst continuing to increase in scope and quality.

This plan includes three objectives:

Objective 1 – To reduce barriers for people with disability accessing exhibitions, events, services and facilities.
Objective 2 – To widely share and promote accessible events, services and resources with the community.
Objective 3 – To reduce barriers to persons with disability obtaining and maintaining employment with the NGV.

Using this DAP as a foundation, each year the Disability Access Committee (DAC) will produce a detailed Schedule for Delivery and Evaluation for the year ahead.

Definitions

Disability:
In line with the Victorian Public Sector Commission, which follows the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the NGV:

‘recognise[s] the definition of disability as including those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments that, in interaction with various attitudinal and environmental barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The definition of disability under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) is broad. It includes physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological and learning disabilities. Disability can be permanent or temporary, visible or invisible. Some conditions and impairments are present from birth. Other people acquire or develop disability during their lifetime from an accident, condition, illness or injury. For some people, support requirements can increase over time. Others can experience fluctuating or episodic disability. Some people may have multiple disabilities, giving rise to different support requirements.

This social model of disability, which understands that negative attitudes and environmental barriers impact the ability to participate in work and life, underpins this plan, which builds capacity and removes barriers to the workforce and respects the human rights of people with disability.’

Disability Access Committee (DAC):
The DAC is comprised of representatives from across the organisation, including Audience Engagement and Learning, Customer Service, Facilities and Operations, Curatorial, Exhibitions and Collections, People and Culture, Marketing and Multimedia. The Committee is chaired by the Audience Engagement and Learning department.

Meeting every two months, the DAC is responsible for consistent implementation and evaluation of the Disability Action Plan 2026–29 and annual Schedule for Delivery and Evaluation.

Objective 1 – To reduce barriers for people with disability accessing exhibitions, events, services and facilities

Action 1:
Present exhibitions, displays and events demonstrating a philosophy of universal access. Document, implement and monitor access requirements and opportunities at NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia with a focus on continuous and proactive improvement.

Responsibility: Facilities and Operations, Exhibition Design, Exhibitions and Collections, Audience Engagement and Learning.
Evaluation: Report to DAC every two months.

Action 2:
Continue to improve on ensuring a welcoming environment with exceptional customer service for all visitors including Deaf and Disabled people by monitoring access-related visitor and staff feedback.

Responsibility: Audience Engagement and Learning, Facilities and Operations and Marketing.
Evaluation: Report to DAC every two months. All access-related customer feedback, staff observations and incidents will be assessed and actioned promptly.

Action 3:
Foster a culture of awareness and inclusion through disability awareness training for staff and volunteers across different departments.

Responsibility: People and Culture, Audience Engagement and Learning.
Evaluation: Report to DAC every two months. Record participation of staff across departments. Conduct staff feedback surveys six months following any relevant training program.

Action 4:
Use technology to provide accessible content and information. Improve the NGV website to comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.

Responsibility: Multimedia, Audience Engagement, Marketing and Learning.
Evaluation: Monitor Visitor Comments, Visitor Surveys, NGV social media and website feedback. Progress to be measured against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.

Action 5:
Maintain and extend relationships with community organisations. Engage in expert consultation regarding disability access issues, language and opportunities.

Responsibility: DAC, Audience Engagement and Learning.
Evaluation: Annual review of consultation and projects as part of Annual Report.

Action 6:
Offer tailored events and resources for people with Disability, in collaboration with community organisations.

Responsibility: Audience Engagement and Learning.
Evaluation: Annual review of events as part of Annual Report.

Objective 2 – To widely share and promote accessible events, services and resources with the community

Objective 3 – To reduce barriers to persons with disability obtaining and maintaining employment with the NGV

Action 9:
Monitor the NGV recruitment processes to ensure inclusivity. Research accessible recruitment best practices in job design, advertising, communication and interviews.

Responsibility: People and Culture.
Evaluation: Appropriate adjustments to be made to NGV recruitment process and Role Statements as applicable and after appropriate consultation with relevant advisors, which may include individuals with lived experience or peak bodies. Track adjustment requests to identify patterns and improve future processes.

Action 10:
Identify the physical and sensory requirements to perform roles at the NGV and work with managers and employees on reasonable adjustment requirements. Conduct internal and external reviews of work areas at the NGV and make necessary adjustments.

Responsibility: People and Culture, Facilities and Operations.
Evaluation: Continue to ensure reasonable adjustments are implemented and informed by internal and external consultation. Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of adjustments over time through discussions with relevant staff, managers and other relevant parties.

Action 11:
Foster a culture of celebrating difference and inclusion by collaborating with artists, designers, writers and professionals who represent our diverse community including people with disability. Represent our diverse community in the NGV Collection and exhibitions.

Responsibility: Curatorial, Audience Engagement and Learning.
Evaluation: Annual review as part of Annual Report.

More information

For more information on NGV’s accessible facilities, services and events visit NGV.Melbourne/Access

Any enquiries or feedback in relation to the NGV Disability Action Plan can be made via our online form or by calling (03) 8620 2222, 9am–5pm, daily.

The National Relay Service (NRS) is an Australia-wide phone service to assist individuals who are Deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment, with making and receiving phone calls. For more information visit NGV.Melbourne/Access