The new resource will help businesses, community groups and the government be more disability confident and boost the participation of people with disability in volunteering roles.
The Minns Labor Government is working to make the volunteering sector even more inclusive, recently launching a set of guidelines to harness the skills of volunteers with disability.
The new NSW Disability Inclusion Volunteering Guidelines provide a wide range of ideas on how organisations can improve volunteering for people with disability, through better recruitment, retention and recognition. This is based on best practice principles that focus on accessibility, creating supportive relationships and ongoing improvement.
“Volunteers are diverse, of all ages and abilities, skills and backgrounds, and we know that when our volunteering sector’s diversity increases, so does innovation and creativity – and our communities thrive,” Minister with responsibility for Volunteering Jodie Harrison said. “These new guidelines help organisations deliver best practice when it comes to being inclusive, providing ideas on good communication and how to build positive relationships. In doing this, they will encourage more people with disability to take up volunteering and find meaningful ways to give back to their communities.”
The guidelines are a key new initiative under the NSW Volunteering Strategy 2020-2030 and have been developed in response to the NSW Volunteering Taskforce recommendations. They also align with the NSW Disability Inclusion Plan 2021-2025, which sets out the state’s whole-of-government strategy to improve the lives of people with disability.
“There’s a role for everyone in volunteer organisations, including the one in five people in NSW who have a disability,” Minister for Disability Inclusion Kate Washington said. “We want to ensure people with disability can share their skills, expertise and dedication for making a difference in workplaces and volunteer organisations. These guidelines are a free and flexible resource that will help organisations improve the volunteer experience for everyone, especially people with disability.”
The guidelines were launched during the National Volunteer Week, which ran from 19 to 25 May.
“We are proud to support the release of the NSW Disability Inclusion Volunteering Guidelines,” Centre for Volunteering CEO Gemma Rygate said. “These guidelines represent an important step toward empowering volunteer-involving organisations to build more inclusive, accessible and equitable volunteering environments—ensuring people with disability are fully supported and recognised as active, valued contributors to our communities.”
To learn more about the guidelines and how to get involved, visit the NSW Volunteering website.
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Geraldine is currently the Content Producer for Third Sector, an Akolade channel. Throughout her career, she has written for various industries and international audiences. Her love for writing extends beyond the corporate world, as she also works as a volunteer writer at her local church. Aside from writing, she is also fond of joining fun runs and watching musicals.
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