Disability Advisory Committee (DAC)
The committee provides advice to the City of Melbourne on access and inclusion. See
current members. Members represent the diversity of the disability communities.
More ways to get involved
Profile: Janice Florence, Disability Advisory Committee member
Janice is a member of the City of Melbourne’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC), a committee of people with disabilities or carers/family members of people with a disability. It advises Council on important, systemic issues, mostly around policy or campaigns to improve access in the municipality.
How did you become involved with the Disability Advisory Committee?
“I started off on the Access Working Group of the DAC because I am a wheelchair user myself. I’ve had a lot of experience with access in previous jobs, and campaigns about access and trying to change laws and upgrade access in the city in particular. I was on the working group for three years, and I’ve been on the DAC for four years.”
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your involvement with the City of Melbourne?
“Being able to have input into things that are happening in the city, like instituting more Changing Places accessible toilets in the city and access to new apartment buildings.
There is actually no legislation about accessibility for private housing, so that means that people with disabilities have really limited choice about where they can live. We had some input into guidelines for new apartment buildings in the city, to try to influence more accessibility for people with a range of disability.”
What do you enjoy about being on the DAC?
“It’s a great opportunity to network with people from different disability organisations and groups, and to work together. Often in the disability world people only advocate for their own group, so this is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other and work together.”
Can you share what keeps you busy outside the DAC?
“I’m a part-time employee at Arts Access Victoria and I also run a disability theatre company called Weave. I’m an Access Development Officer. We work with the Arts Centre, Circus Oz, the Malthouse and many others to improve physical access and Auslan interpreters to performances. We encourage audio-described performances for people who are blind or low vision and ‘Relaxed’ shows for people on the autism spectrum.”
“We also strive to get the work of artists with disabilities recognised and into main venues. We’ve also trained 500 arts, local government and corporate organisations in disability awareness over the past eight years or so. It definitely keeps me busy!”