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Visitor Information Centres Now Communication Accessible Bass Coast Shire Council Visitor Information Centres are now better equipped to meet the needs of visitors with a disability after successfully becoming accredited as Communication Accessible by Scope Victoria By Bass Coast - 10th July 2014 - Back to News Mayor, Cr Neil Rankine, said according to Scope Victoria, one in 500 people in Victoria need support for successful communication.
"Considering Bass Coast is a key Australian tourist destination, it is important that we are welcoming and accessible to all and this accreditation shows how commited we are to do that," Cr Rankine said.
Staff and volunteers at the four Visitor Information Centres completed a self assessment questionnaire and had pre-assessment visits prior to attending workshops presented by Scope Victoria.
A number of weeks after the workshops were completed, assessors with complex communication needs conducted mystery shopper type phone calls and visits to the Visitor Centres to check if they were applying their learnings in a real life situations.
"Staff were assessed for their friendliness, respect and value towards the assessor" Cr Rankine said.
"They were also asked to help with providing written information by either presenting the appropriate brochure or writing the information down.
"They were assessed on their patience and time provided to ensure the information was clearly understood."
The Visitor Information Centres are now qualified to display the Communication Access Symbol, which helps identify places that are trained in communicating with people who can’t speak or are difficult to understand.
For more information on Communication Accessibility, contact RuralAccess on 1300BCOAST (226 278), or to gain your own Communication Accessible accreditation, contact the Scope Victoria Communication Resource Centre on (03) 9843 2000.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com
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