### The Women's Health Service s Disability Audit Tool

The Women's Health Service s Disability Audit Tool presented below is part of a suite of resources produced by Women with Disabilities Victoria to support women's health services to build their capacity to include the rights and perspectives of women with disabilities in to PVAW initiatives. In tandem with accompanying disability and Prevention of Violence Against Women (PVAW) needs analysis tools, it has been designed for use by staff of women's health services engaged in the design, implementation and review of programs to prevent violence against women initiated by their organisations or region. It has been piloted by Women's Health East and Women's Health Loddon Mallee through their participation in the Violence Prevention Capacity Building Project in partnership with WDV , funded by the Victorian Government's Office for Women , for whose assistance WDVis very grateful.

#### Guiding Principles

The Women's Health Services Disability and PVAW Capacity Building project is grounded in a gender transformative approach to change gender norms, structures and practices for a more equal society (Our Watch 2015; Keel et al 2016). It takes an intersectional approach to address the drivers of violence against women and the multiple systems and structures of oppression and discrimination which affect women with disabilities by upholding a human rights approach to disability, as required by the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of people with Disabilities 2006. The Women's Health Services Disability and Prevention of Violence Against Women project frames its activities within essential actions to prevent violence against women, as advocated by Our Watch (2015). In undertaking the disability audit below, women's health services can shift their communications, processes, operations and physical infrastructure in ways which will:

- • condoning of violence against women. • condoning of violence against women.
- • women's independence and decision -making in public life and relationships. • women's independence and decision -making in public life and relationships.
- • positive personal identities and challenge gender stereotypes and roles. • positive personal identities and challenge gender stereotypes and roles.
- • positive, equal and respectful relations between and among women and men, girls and boys. • positive, equal and respectful relations between and among women and men, girls and boys.
- • and normalise gender equality in public and private life (Our Watch 2015). • and normalise gender equality in public and private life (Our Watch 2015).

In 2017, WDV produced the Inclusive Planning Guidelines for Prevention of Violence Against Women. These guidelines specify a series of actions conducive to inclusive PVAW activities and processes by women's health services. The auditing toolkit addresses the first guideline, Organisational Readiness through Planning and Development (Women with Disabilities Victoria 2017). Organisational readiness requires focus and reflection on internal processes, systems, culture and work plans. It involves critical examination of the internal environment and external messaging, as well as recognition of the long-term nature of change to transform social structures, organisational culture and processes and physical infrastructure. Similar to gender equality, disability inclusion within organisations will only be achieved by deliberate actions to implement long-term change. It is suggested that the auditing tools and needs analysis tools inform an ongoing process of disability inclusion, using the following strategies:

- • the support of senior leaders. • the support of senior leaders.
- • current inclusion activities, systems and resources. • current inclusion activities, systems and resources.
- • a vision of what your inclusive organisation and PVAW activities will look like. • a vision of what your inclusive organisation and PVAW activities will look like.
- • resources, information and support. • resources, information and support.
- • throughout your organisation about disability inclusion. • throughout your organisation about disability inclusion.
- • knowledge of disability, barriers to inclusion and prevention of violence against women with • knowledge of disability, barriers to inclusion and prevention of violence against women with disabilities within your organisation.

Women's Health Services Disability Audit Tool

©Womenwith Disabilities Victoria 6