Local Government ExplainedDisability inclusion and provisions: case studies and resources for local government
Sid Hayward, LGIU
Curated case studies and resources on disability inclusion and accessibility in councils and local areas, with featured examples from Belgium, Spain, and Australia.
Curated case studies and resources on disability inclusion and accessibility in councils and local areas, with featured examples from Belgium, Spain, and Australia.
Have your own example to share, get in touch!
Case studies on disability inclusion and accessibility
BELGIUM: First Belgian with Down syndrome voted into office will serve as councillor
Belgium has elected its first citizen with Down syndrome. Nicolas Vanwinsen, aged 33, has become the first elected official in the country with Down syndrome, having won in local elections in Heist-op-den-Berg after a campaign where he called for electoral inequality between people with and without disabilities. Standing for the CD&V Party, the largest in the municipality, Mr Vanwinsen will be assisted initially by party vice-president Kristel Van Craen.
VrtNws
SPAIN: Meet the island city recognised for its accessibility
The Spanish island town of San Cristóbal de La Laguna was recognised last December for its comprehensive approach to accessibility and disability inclusion. Receiving the 2024 Access City Award, the Tenerife town has worked hard to prioritise the accessibility and quality of life for people with disabilities in urban spaces, social activities and public transport. All of the town’s vehicles and tram stations are fully accessible, while the city centre has tactile paving and acoustic traffic lights. The council has also launched a disability council and ombudsman, alongside a mobile space with resources for inclusive and accessible events.
The Mayor
BELGIUM: Opening up tourism to the deaf
To mark the International Day of People with Disabilities, the City of Leuven, Belgium, has launched a city walk in sign language. The walk makes use of digital tools, namely the city’s heritage app which helps people navigate local landmarks. The walk features 15 tourist highlights, each fit with a screen showing a short film in Flemish sign language, international sign language, and Dutch or English subtitles. The scheme was developed in collaboration with a deaf community member, Gery Gerits, who is also a member of the city’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. Mr Gerits hopes to open as many sites as possible to the deaf, especially museums.
The Mayor
AUSTRALIA: Council awarded most accessible government website in country
At the Australian Access Awards 2023, the City of Cockburn, Western Australia, was recognised for having the most accessible government website in the country. Beating out national finalists, including the Victorian and Western Australian governments and the Brisbane and Melbourne city councils, the award was the result of seven years’ work for Cockburn, according to mayor Logan Howlett. The focus on accessibility started many years ago, when the council mandated the employment of an accessibility consultant under its new website in 2016.
Council Magazine
Resources on disability inclusion in councils and local areas
Resource: Support for disabled councillors and candidates
The LGA offers support for disabled councillors and candidates in the UK. This support ranges from people thinking of taking their first step to stand for election, to backing experienced councillors with disability into or in positions of leadership.
The purpose of this discussion paper is to lead the planning profession in a discussion on disability inclusion and equity, and build capacity and empower practitioners by offering a resource and actions by planners to help improve planning for disability equity and inclusion.
Paper: Disability justice and urban planning
This article is made up of a unique collection of short responses and reflections from an open call. The voices here go beyond discussing accessibility to recognise and delineate how deeply ableism is embedded in planning theory, research, education, and practice, and to engage with vision and imagination about what it would look like to plan and make urban policy from a foundation of disability justice.
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