The purpose of this guide
Engaging Queenslanders: A guide to engaging people with a disability has been developed to support government staff to strengthen public sector engagement with people with a disability. It provides both good practice and contextual information.
While the guide’s title refers to engaging people with a disability, successful engagement programs are likely to also involve the families and carers of people with a disability, people who work for disability organisations in a paid or voluntary capacity, public advocates, academics and others with an active interest in disability issues.
The guide was developed with the support of interested parties including people with a disability, family members of people with a disability and public servants, some of whom have a long history of working with people with a disability. They provided valuable insight, information, feedback, stories and experience which have informed all aspects of this guide.
Engaging Queenslanders: A guide to engaging people with a disability is part of a suite of community engagement resources produced by the Department of Communities. Other guides in this series are listed in the Supporting information: Useful resources section of this guide and can be downloaded from the Queensland Government community engagement website.
Overview
The guide begins by outlining current Queensland Government strategies for engaging with the disability sector. It details how to plan, manage and evaluate processes which effectively engage people with a disability and the diverse people and organisations they connect with. A range of positive strategies are described, along with suggestions for managers to support staff engaging with people with a disability.
The guide takes into account relevant government priorities, legislation and policies, feedback provided by people with a disability and the broader disability sector on recent engagement processes, and literature from Australia and overseas.
Supporting information is also provided which introduces the range of current and historical issues which affect the disability sector. These issues have the potential to influence the way an engagement process is managed and the outcomes achieved. Lists of useful resources and contacts are also provided.
