Accessibility in rural areas

Mayors and councillors from NSW regional areas have been thrust into several experiential exercises to get some of an understanding of how important accessibility infrastructures are. The overall aim was to show that disability access is not just ticking boxes, but about the actual experience of the space. It seems that disability access and awareness is spreading fast in rural NSW with Dubbo mayor Ben Shields aiming to make Dubbo ‘the most disability friendly city in the country’. But how far will the funding go and what changes need to be made? Deb Hilton, the Gunnedah council’s community and social planner, spoke with us last week.