newy.com.au – People who are hard of hearing will be able to access live performances more easily at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre and Playhouse after City of Newcastle installed new assisted listening technology that sends audio directly to hearing aids and headphones.
The system transmits performance audio via Bluetooth and headphone jacks, with several options available to suit the range of audio devices used in the community. It is one of dozens of measures being delivered under City of Newcastle’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan 2022–2026, which guides practical improvements to access and inclusion across Council services, facilities and public spaces.
City of Newcastle is now seeking community feedback on disability, access and inclusion to help shape its next Disability Inclusion Action Plan, covering 2027 to 2031.
Co-chair of City of Newcastle’s Access Inclusion Standing Committee, Councillor Elizabeth Adamczyk, said community input was crucial to understanding how Newcastle could continue becoming more welcoming and inclusive.
“For someone who is hard of hearing, this new assisted listening technology can help make live performances fun, engaging, and more accessible, and it represents meaningful progress towards a more inclusive Newcastle,” Cr Adamczyk said.
“Some other examples of actions being carried out as part of the current DIAP include delivering more inclusive programming, like Low Sensory Days at Newcastle Museum and Auslan Storytime at Newcastle Libraries.
“To see actions from our current DIAP coming off the pages and into the real world as tangible outcomes is fantastic and shows how important it is that we get strong feedback from our community to continue improving accessibility across Newcastle.
“City of Newcastle staff have worked with Community Disability Hunter Alliance (CDAH) to co-design the engagement process, to ensure every person in our community can meaningfully participate and have their say.
“I encourage anyone who has experience with disability to get involved, give feedback on what you love, what we need more of, and where we can work together to continue making our city more inclusive and accessible.”
Newcastle mother-of-two Amanda Robertson, a community representative on the Access Inclusion Standing Committee, said her family had seen how the plan could improve everyday life for people with disability.
“I’m proud to have been working with City of Newcastle and seeing up close how the current DIAP is implemented has shown me how important it is to share my experiences as a mother to twins with mobility disabilities,” Ms Robertson said.
“For families like ours, things like the Foreshore Park playground, which opens later in the year, and more improvements to Newcastle’s footpaths through the Pedestrian Mobility and Access Plan will genuinely make our lives better.
“These actions are included in the current DIAP and are clear examples of how feedback from people in the community with lived experience can make a real difference.”
Minister for Families and Communities and Member for Port Stephens, Kate Washington, said local councils had an important role in building more accessible communities.
“In December, the Minns Labor Government launched our ambitious four-year plan to build a more inclusive and accessible NSW. Local councils have the task of reflecting that ambition, working within communities to develop their new Disability Inclusion Action Plans,” Ms Washington said.
“I congratulate the City of Newcastle on its work done to date to improve inclusion across the city and encourage Novocastrians to have their say about the next steps needed to build an even more inclusive Newy.”
The consultation will include online and in-person workshops, high-visibility pop-up events across Newcastle and an online campaign to capture experiences, opinions and ideas for the 2027–2031 plan.
Through a partnership with Community Disability Alliance Hunter, the engagement will focus on hearing directly from people with lived experience, carers and other stakeholders, including under-represented and marginalised people.
Community members can find out more and make a submission through the Have Your Say page on City of Newcastle’s website before Monday 15 June.
