About You’re Welcome

The You're Welcome WA Access Initiative assists people with disabilities, their family and carers to find accurate and detailed access information. This information is necessary for people with disabilities to make decisions about which businesses, community services and facilities meet their access requirements.

People with disabilities place a high priority on business and community becoming more accessible, including the provision of appropriate customer service.

Aims

You’re Welcome WA aims to assist people with disabilities to access community life by:

providing detailed and accurate information about the accessibility of facilities and services; and
encouraging businesses and community organisations to make their services and facilities more accessible.

Strategies

You're Welcome WA helps to create accessible communities by:

gathering detailed accurate access information;
developing and maintaining a website to provide easy-to-obtain access information; and
providing practical written information and access awareness training to assist business and community groups to make their services more access friendly.

Development of You’re Welcome WA

The Disability Services Commission led the following project team that developed You’re Welcome WA.

City of Perth and the City of Perth Access Working Group
Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability
People With Disabilities WA (Inc)
National Disability Services WA (NDS)
Tourism Western Australia and
Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA)

Implementation

You’re Welcome WA is implemented through partnerships with the Disability Services Commission.

Creating greater access awareness in business and community organisations involves the use of a number of You’re Welcome WA access awareness raising resources specifically developed on how to improve access.

Accurate access information development includes training and support in the use of specifically designed You’re Welcome WA access checklists and reporting templates.

As the main focus of You’re Welcome WA is locality based, Local Governments are the main implementation partners. Currently there are 36 Local Governments implementing You’re Welcome WA throughout Western Australia. The Department of Environment and Conservation and the Rottnest Island Authority are also You’re Welcome partners.

A You’re Welcome WA Access Initiative State Network Group with representatives of key stakeholders from the disability, community and tourism sectors guides, supports and promotes the initiative throughout Western Australia.

Members of the You’re Welcome WA Access Initiative State Network include:

Disability Services Commission (Chair)
Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA)
Ministerial Advisory Council on Disability
Department for Communities (Active Aging)
Council for the Ageing
City of Perth
Tourism Western Australia
Visitor Centre Association of WA
People With Disabilities WA (Inc)
National Disability Services WA (NDS)
Department of Environment and Conservation
Volunteering WA
Rottnest Island Authority
Melville/Cockburn Chamber of Commerce