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Footpaths in Focus

Why Inclusive Pathways Matter

A person crossing the road with a yellow Labrador Guide Dog.

Pathways connect our community together; providing access to essential services, employment and social participation. When our pathways are accessible, it ensures every person can move independently and safely through their community and live the life they choose. Inclusive pathway design and regulation does more than support someone to get from A to B. They support participation in everday life, strengthen the local economy and facilitate a stronger sense of belonging.

“As a person with low vision, navigating pathways that are cluttered, poorly maintained and not built with tactile and clear visual separation in mind requires significant cognitive effort and constant vigilance, which can be both exhausting and discouraging. Access to inclusive pathways enables me greater independence, increased confidence and willingness to engage meaningfully in community life, ultimately enhancing my quality of life” – Sacha, Guide Dog Handler.

Our Pathways to Inclusion 2025 research report.

In 2025, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT commissioned the University of Technology to conduct research into the experience of people with low vision or blindness navigating pathways. The report from this research provides an evidence base for action by governments, community advocates, and people with low vision or blindness who are committed to making society more accessible.

With more than 308 survey responses from across metropolitan and regional NSW and the ACT, findings show that access remains inconsistent and, in many places, is getting harder.

  • Only 46 percent of respondents rated their community as accessible.
  • 42 percent felt less confident getting around their community now than two years ago.
  • Average confidence navigating local areas was 6.3 out of 10, pointing to unreliable access rather than isolated problem spots.

Read the full and summary reports linked below:

What does the law say about ensuring inclusive pathways?

  • The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful to treat people with a disability less favourably than a person without a disability. In the context of pathway accessibility, it requires environments and processes to be inclusive, accessible, and free of discriminatory barriers.
  • The Disability Inclusion Act 2014 (NSW) commits the NSW Government to making communities more inclusive and accessible for people with disability now and into the future. It regulates disability supports and services to people with disability in NSW. It requires local governments to develop Disability Inclusion Action Plans and review them every four years.
  • The Disability Inclusion Act 2023 (ACT) requires territory authorities (which includes local government functions) to prepare a Disability and Inclusion Plan (DIP).

Self-advocacy Toolkit: Disability Inclusion Action Plans (DIAPs).

In NSW, councils must create a Disability Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) which states their commitment to maintaining and growing a disability inclusive community. These plans usually cover a four year period and are developed in consultation with people with disability.

To ensure these plans cover what is most important to people with disability, we encourage our Clients, all people with low vision or blindness and their allies to contribute to these consultations.

DIAPs are required to cover four key areas:

  1. Developing positive community attitudes and upholding the rights of people with disability.
  2. Creating liveable and safer communities.
  3. Supporting access to meaningful employment and independence.
  4. Improving access to mainstream services through better systems and processes.

We have produced a DIAP letter template to help you share your feedback. It can be shared with councils in full with your contact details included or personalised to ensure your council hears what is most important to you. Some examples of what you might provide feedback on include:

  • Council forms or information that you’ve had difficult accessing with low vision or a screen reader.
  • Difficulty navigating pathways due to obstructions or poor separation between road and footpath.
  • The need for more businesses in your area to understand the rights of access of your Guide Dog.
  • Availability of local supports and activities that facilitate social connection and access to services.
  • Difficulty finding and maintaining employment due to your disability.
  • How safe you feel in your community.
  • Suggested solutions or ideas about how to address or resolve the issues you experience.

We surveyed over 300 people with low vision or blindness about their experiences navigating their local community. The insights from this research are provided in our Pathways to Inclusion 2025 report(opens in new tab).

Alongside your personal feedback and experiences, we encourage you to include this report in your letter so that council can see what issues people experience systemically.

We will share opportunities to contribute to a local DIAP consultation with our Clients via ‘Google Groups’ channels, as well as link them to the bottom of this page when they are up for consultation. 

Contact our team to be added to our Google Groups mailing list.

If you have any queries about our DIAP letter template, please contact our Social Change Team.

Draft DIAPs open for consultation:

What needs to happen now?

Our research findings are clear; we need to act to ensure pathways are accessible. We advocate that:

Government:

  • Better regulate and enforce the use of pathways to improve the safety and confidence of pedestrians.
  • Include and invite people with low vision or blindness to participate in Accessibility and Disability Reference Groups at the local and state level.

Organisations:

  • Ensure paths of travel within, to and around your business are clear and accessible.
  • Consult with people with disability on organisational policy and procedures relating to accessible design.

Community:

  • Identify and report community access barriers that impact people with low vision or blindness.
  • Contribute to community surveys and consultations to ensure the issues that impact people with low vision or blindness are captured.

Contact the Social Change Team to learn more about our Inclusive Pathways advocacy work.