New accessibility toolkit creates inclusive work environments

A new Accessibility Toolkit for Managers at UNSW provides practical guidance on building accessible, disability-inclusive work environments.

Developed as part of the University’s 2022–2025 Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP), the Accessibility Toolkit for Managers offers clear advice and resources to support confident, everyday decision-making on accessibility – from recruitment and workplace adjustments to team culture and career development. 

Cathy Brown, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at UNSW, said the toolkit helps turn policy into practice.  

“This toolkit has been developed to provide information, resources for continued learning and actions to help managers create accessible and inclusive work environments for staff,” she said. 

It also builds on UNSW’s recent achievements in accessibility, including a 23% improvement in the Australian Disability Network’s Access and Inclusion Index since 2021. The index is an independent national benchmark assessing how organisations embed access and inclusion across nine key areas of business. Of 44 organisations assessed in 2024, UNSW ranked fourth overall and second in the education sector. 

 What does the toolkit include? 

Topics covered in the toolkit include inclusive job design, accessible recruitment, language and definitions, neurodiversity and support for staff with visible and non-visible disabilities. 

It has sections to help managers: 

• better understand the lived experience of disability and inclusive language 
• learn why accessibility and disability inclusion are essential in decision-making 
• navigate workplace adjustments and understand how the process works at UNSW 
• apply accessible recruitment practices and design more inclusive jobs 
• support the career development of staff with disability 
• create accessible work environments through inclusive communication and design.  

If you have any questions or suggestions for future updates of the toolkit, please contact the Diversity & Inclusion team at edi@unsw.edu.au. You can also join the next Lunch & Learn session in June focusing on workplace adjustments. 

The toolkit is managed by Diversity and Inclusion. It was developed in collaboration with UNSW People & Culture in consultation with the EDI Staff Consultancy Group and other stakeholders across the University. It will be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect current resources and best practices. 

Please share these resources with your teams to help create a more accessible and inclusive UNSW for all.