The Client Service Charter specifies the Museum’s role as both provider and consumer, and defines the service standards for meeting the needs of people with a disability. In keeping with Australian Standard AS4269–1995, the Client Service Charter also provides a mechanism for feedback and complaints regarding the provision of facilities for this sector of the community. In 2011–12, the Museum maintained its key affiliations with bodies such as the National Relay Service, which provides phone solutions for deaf, hearing and speech impaired people, and the National Companion Card Scheme, which allows carers to enter all events and exhibitions free-of-charge. The Museum continued to improve its performance as a popular and safe destination for people with disabilities, particularly in the provision of physical aids, such as the Museum’s fleet of electric scooters, the scheduling of tailored programs and the upgrade of facilities to enable easier access.
Highlights included:
- offering music and art programs catering for people with a range of disabilities
- replacing one mobility scooter and continuing to maintain all other units, ensuring that a minimum of four scooters are available at all times
- updating exhibition labels in the Old New Land gallery to improve legibility
- continuing to maintain all hearing induction loops throughout the Museum, including in the Visions and Circa theatres, and three counter-top hearing induction loops at the information desk and cloakroom
- purchasing an evacuation stair chair (Evacu-Trac CD7) to assist in safely evacuating mobility-impaired visitors in an emergency
- providing state-of-the-art equipment for guided tours, with the option of headphones which provide clearer reception
- providing braille and large-print versions of the Museum map and the guide to the Garden of Australian Dreams
- reviewing the assistance animal access guidelines to reflect changes to the Museum’s building and operations
- installing automatic sliding doors in key areas.
In its role as a purchaser, the Museum continued to adhere to the requirement of Australian Government legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. This included:
- making tender information available in accessible formats (both electronic and non-electronic)
- ensuring that, where appropriate, specifications for goods and services are consistent with the requirements of the Act
- ensuring that contractors and service providers comply with legislation applicable to the performance of the contract.