Council has endorsed the appointment of five new members to the Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee for a two-year term.
The City welcomes new members Alex Holland, Ainslee Hooper, Dr. Simon Morris, Rachael Thompson and Professor Richard Tucker to the committee, bringing the total number of members to 10.
The Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee is an important component of the City's work in building an accessible and inclusive community for all.
Committee members support the City's implementation of the Access and Inclusion Action Plan 2018-2022, which is framed around the four key priority areas access, inclusion and participation, employment and inclusive attitudes.
These new members bring a wealth of knowledge and lived experience to the committee:
- Alex Holland works as a corporate lawyer at the National Disability Insurance Agency. She is passionate about improving access and inclusion in Geelong after encountering numerous challenges and barriers herself as a wheelchair user;
- Ainslee Hooper has an Honours in Anthropology, was a member of LEAD Barwon and runs a consulting business where she uses her expertise and lived experience of disability to ensure people with disabilities have the same opportunities and experiences as any other consumer;
- Dr. Simon Morris is a clinical psychologist who works with people experiencing long-term mental and chronic health issues. He is passionate about the emotional and identity issues related to having a disability and the challenges of living in an able-centric culture. Simon was born with spina bifida which has progressed throughout his lifetime;
- Rachael Thompson works at a not-for-profit in Geelong that provides free advocacy support for people with a disability. After her experiences with mental health and rheumatoid arthritis she was inspired to shift her career as a commercial lawyer. Rachael is currently studying a Graduate Diploma of Human Rights Law at the University of Melbourne; and
- Professor Richard Tucker has extensive research and knowledge of sustainable and universal design, urban design and the relationships between health, accessibility and inclusivity in built environmental design. He has published almost 100 outputs on these themes, is a director of the Deakin HOME Research Hub and was the project lead of the Accessible and Inclusive Geelong Feasibility Study.
In addition to providing advice on the Access and Inclusion Action Plan 2018-2022, committee members will advise the City on barriers to the accessibility of goods, services and facilities in Greater Geelong.
The City thanks departing members Richard Colman AM, Roger Napthine, Terry Osborn and Liz Spurdle for their commitment and work towards shaping access and inclusion in Greater Geelong.
The City also congratulates existing committee members, Robert Kuebler and Oliver Lynch, who have successfully renewed their terms for another two years.
