Volunteers available to assist Court Users on International Day for People with Disability

01/12/2020

This Thursday 3 December is International Day for People with Disability. It is an opportunity to join together to support people with disability and raise awareness of the importance of creating a future where people with disabilities experience equal opportunity without barriers in all aspects of their lives.

The 2020 theme of International Day for People with Disability is ‘Not all Disabilities are Visible’. The focus will be on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunction, among others.

On Thursday the Association’s Accessibility Panel will be running an ad hoc court attendance assistance program. Members of the Bar have kindly volunteered to assist colleagues and Court Users on Thursday 3 December in making their way through the security checkpoints at Court buildings and safely accessing the Court rooms in which they are to appear. If you or your clients would like accessibility assistance on 3 Thursday at Queens Square, the Downing Centre or the John Maddison Tower, please email dppa@nswbar.asn.au and we will connect you with a volunteer to provide directions, information or assistance lifting heavy bags onto conveyor belts as may be required.

Some of the accessibility concerns members have raised with the Accessibility Panel include: • some heritage listed Courts in NSW feature stairs that are dull in colour and without anti-slip nosing or hand rails;

• roped pathways at the entrance to some Court complexes make it very difficult for the vision impaired to know in which direction they are expected to walk;

• lack of signage and a dedicated support person adds to the problems confronting lawyers requiring special assistance;

• an unrealistic expectation that vision impaired lawyers will be able to properly answer questions by sheriffs about whether or not they have attended a “COVID Hotspot” by reading a hand-written list of locations from a distance of up to two metres; and

• placing all of one’s belongings onto a baggage scanner that can be a metre or more above the floor. For lawyers, that often includes a heavy bag.

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