ACT Health, in collaboration with the Office for Disability, are co-designing the ACT Disability Health Strategy (DHS) with the ACT disability community to ensure better health outcomes for people with disabilities, their families, and carers.
The ACT DHS will build on previous work, including the ACT Council of Social Service (ACTCOSS) 2019 report Imagining Better – Reflections on access, choice and control in ACT health services for people with disability and the 2022 Women’s Health Matters report “I have to ask to be included…” which documents the views of ACT women with disability about their health and health needs, access to services, supports and information, and barriers to maintaining health.
YourSay page
Visit the ACT Disability Health Strategy on YourSay.
Contact details
Team: Disability and Community Policy, ACT Health
Phone: 5124 9355
Email: acthdisabilityandcommunity@act.gov.au
The ACT DHS project
The ACT DHS project has been broken down into three phases:
Phase One: Scoping Study – completed December 2021
This phase of the project delivered:
Phase Two: Development – underway
This phase of the project will deliver the final draft ACT Disability Health Strategy and its First Action Plan.
The development of the ACT Disability Health Strategy and its First Action Plan is supported by a significant evidence base, including feedback from the Health and Wellbeing consultations undertaken by Community Services Directorate for the ACT Disability Strategy, along with national and local legislation, policy, and research.
Development of the ACT Disability Health Strategy and its First Action Plan is being guided by the ACT Disability Health Strategy Steering Committee, comprised of people with disability, carers of people with disability, service providers, advocacy groups, and ACT Government representatives.
So far, this phase of the project has delivered:
A draft ACT Disability Health Strategy will be released soon for six weeks public consultation.
Phase Three: Launch and Implementation – to be commenced
This phase of the project will deliver:
- the final version of the ACT Disability Health Strategy in multiple formats, including Easy English,
- the final version of the First Action Plan, and
- planning and implementation of any seed projects.
Additional Information
The Disability Royal Commission is due to deliver a final report to the Australian Government by 29 September 2023. Future work by ACT Government will be required to reflect the recommendations from this report.
Related projects
ACT Disability Strategy
In response to Australia’s Disability Strategy 2021-2031, Community Services Directorate are developing a new 10-year ACT Disability Strategy to create a more welcoming and accessible community and improve the lives of the more than 80,000 Canberrans who identify as people with disability.
Canberra Health Services Disability Access and Inclusion Plan
Canberra Health Services has launched a Disability Access and Inclusion Plan 2022-2025 (DAIP) that specifies goals and actions to achieve accessibility for team members, consumers, their families and carers, and stakeholders. Canberra Health Services aims to be a workplace and health provider that is trusted by the community as valuing people with disability, their family, and their carers.
