NEWS
Sanctuary for all By Jed Lanyon Healesville Sanctuary is now fully accessible to all visitors with the opening of the latest Victorian Changing Places facility on Tuesday 30 July. The Changing Places project by the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for providing larger than standard accessible toilets that have extra features such as a tracking hoist and more space to meet the needs of people with a disability. Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green opened the new changeroom and toilet facility. "The Changing Places facility at the wonderful Healesville Sanctuary is another great example of the Labor Government creating inclusive communities, especially in regional Victoria. "Having a disability shouldn't preclude anyone from participating in their community and enjoying exciting attractions like the Healesville Sanctuary." According to the state government, $2.6 million will be provided to fund a network of 26 Changing Places across Victoria with Zoos Victoria receiving $100,000 for the Healesville Sanctuary facility. Victoria was the first Australian state to launch Changing Places and continues to lead the way nationally in making public spaces more accessible. There are now over 100 Changing Places across Australia, including five locations in the Shire of Yarra Ranges. These locations include Lillydale Lake, Monbulk Aquatic Centre, the Yarra Centre, Yarra Glen and now Healesville Sanctuary. Changing Places will enable the 346,400 Victorians with high support needs to visit popular tourist locations, parks and community facilities across the state.
The opening of the Changing Places facility at Healesville Sanctuary. 196220 Changing Places is a key priority of the Absolutely Everyone State Disability Plan for 2017-2020, which will see the state government support a range of actions in partnership with the community to achieve greater inclusion. The facilities are different to standard accessible toilets as they have extra features and more space to meet the needs of people with severe and profound disabilities.
Is a loved one of yours not coping at home?
Changing Places facilities provide a height adjustable adult-sized changing bench, a ceiling hoist to help lift the person out of their wheelchair and onto a change table or toilet, as well as a spacious, safe and clean environment for a carer and person with a disability. To find out more about Changing Places and to find a facility near you, visit: https:// changingplaces.org.au/
Applications are now open for the Aunty Dot Peters Award. The award supports Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students to complete years nine and ten at a Victorian Secondary School. Each year four students receive bursaries of $5000 each ($2500 per year over 2 years). Eligible recipients must identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, have completed year eight at a Victorian school in 2019 and plan to complete years nine and ten at a Victorian Secondary School next year. Indigenous Elder Aunty Dot Peters said, "It has been a longstanding dream of mine to get this award up and running. "As a former educator, I am proud to see an initiative like this that young Aboriginal people can strive for. "I want all Aboriginal people to be true to themselves and to remember it's important for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people to come together." The award serves to honour the work of Aunty Dorothy (Dot) Peters, much-loved community member, educator and Chairperson of the Victorian Aboriginal Remembrance Committee. Aunty Dot was recently recognised as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) as part of the Queen's Birthday 2019 honours for her significant service to the Indigenous community of Victoria. From 1980 to 1991 Aunty Dot worked as an Aboriginal Educator at Healesville Primary School, educating students about Indigenous culture and showing them how to weave baskets. In a previous story for the Mail, Aunty Dot said she is proud of her work to create an Indigenous remembrance service, an event that started at Healesville RSL where a didgeridoo was played alongside the ode as a way of honouring her father, who had died as a prisoner of war on the Thai Burma Railway.
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