2021 Disability Inclusion Grant

⁠⁠⁠The ACT Government is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible community for all Canberrans. While the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provides support to people with disability who require support to undertake the usual activities of daily life, the inclusion of people with disability in the community goes well beyond specialised disability support.

The ACT Office for Disability was established to continue to support the social inclusion of all people with disability, their families and carers in the ACT community. The Office for Disability will assist the ACT in meeting its commitments under the National Disability Strategy, demonstrating an ongoing commitment to the over 79,000 people with disability living in the ACT.

Available Funding
Total funding of $100,000.00 (GST exclusive) is available for this grant round.

Community organisations and small businesses may apply for a grant of any amount up to $20,000.00 (GST exclusive) to be used for a project or initiative in the 2021-22 financial year. The grant may cover the cost of the project in full or in part.

Grants are one-off for the activities or initiatives specified and are not intended as a recurring funding source.

Funding Purpose
Projects, activities or initiatives must demonstrate how they will address barriers to access and inclusion for people with disability that will allow for and enable their greater participation in community life.

Proposals will be considered which address physical, attitudinal and/or communication barriers. Proposals that demonstrate a broad and deep impact on improving the inclusion of people with disability will be looked upon favourably.

Examples of proposals that may be considered (but are not limited to) include:

• assistance to develop a Disability Action and Inclusion Plan;
• targeted or general disability awareness training for volunteers, members and/or the public;
• converting brochures and reports to accessible formats such as Easy English or Braille;
• developing attitudinal awareness-raising resources;
• purchase of assistive technologies such as hearing loops and height adjustable equipment;
• physical modifications such as accessible bathroom upgrades or wheelchair ramp installations;
• wayfinding improvements such as Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSIs) and signage;
• training staff in Auslan;
• installing automatic doors.

This is not an exhaustive list. The panel is interested in innovative, creative, and sustainable approaches to increasing the inclusion of people with disability. Of particular interest are activities that reflect engagement with people with disability and their supporters and that impact upon as many people as possible, and so greater emphasis will be placed on projects which will result in meaningful improvements with a broad reach benefiting many people with disability in the ACT community.

Further Information
For more information on SmartyGrants or to lodge a complaint, please contact Service Funding Support officer on (02) 6205 1699 or by email at CSDServiceFundingSupport@act.gov.au

For information about the Disability Inclusion Grants please contact the Office for Disability on (02) 6207 1086 or by email at officefordisability@act.gov.au