How City of Victor Harbor’s award-winning inclusion project is opening doors across the sector

When Angela Schiller was elected to the City of Victor Harbor Council in 2022, she made history as South Australia’s first Council Member who is blind. But what followed has proven just as significant - an ambitious, whole-of-organisation project to ensure she could participate fully in civic life, and in the process, a new benchmark for accessibility in local government.

Now, that project - Accessibility in Action: Supporting a Council Member who is Blind - has been recognised with the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award at the 2025 LG Professionals SA Leadership Excellence Awards.

For the team behind the initiative, the award is a celebration of collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to ensuring all voices can be heard - no matter the circumstance.

From lived experience to lasting impact

“The election of Councillor Schiller wasn’t just a milestone for Victor Harbor,” says project lead Michelle James, Strategy and Engagement Business Partner. “It was a milestone for the whole state. And we knew we had a responsibility; not only to support Angela, but to use her experience to create something that could benefit the entire sector.”

That “something” became a robust and practical toolkit - funded by the Local Government Research and Development Scheme and developed through deep stakeholder consultation. Designed to help councils support elected members who are blind or have low vision, the toolkit offers strategies for communication, technology integration, governance processes, and more. Importantly, it’s been designed to be transferrable, and has already been shared with the broader sector through LGA South Australia.

At its heart, the toolkit is a symbol of Victor Harbor’s belief that accessibility shouldn’t be an afterthought - it should be embedded.

Systemic change, person-centred design

While the project focused on support for one councillor, the approach was holistic. From the appointment of a dedicated Access and Inclusion Support Officer to hands-on collaboration with IT, communications, governance and admin teams, the initiative reimagined how council operations could become more inclusive overall.

“Accessibility doesn’t sit in one department,” Michelle explains. “It requires the whole organisation to come together.”

And come together they did - with expert guidance, knowledge and expertise from Vision Australia, Blind Tech and Purple Orange, collaboration with other councils like Alexandrina Council and City of Salisbury, and practical insights from Councillor Schiller herself. From accessible agendas to inclusive digital formats and improved internal cohesion, the project touched every corner of the organisation and laid the foundation for long-term culture change.

“Angela’s feedback was critical throughout,” Michelle says. “Her insights made the framework real - not theoretical. It had to work in practice, not just on paper.”

From councillor to community champion

The results speak for themselves. Thanks to the systems put in place, Councillor Schiller has stepped into increasingly prominent roles - Chair of the Disability Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee and, most recently, Deputy Mayor.

Her expanded participation is more than symbolic - it’s proof that when inclusion is prioritised, leadership can thrive.

Even beyond her contributions, the project has boosted awareness, improved council-wide accessibility, and delivered time efficiencies and productivity gains thanks to more accessible systems.

“Supporting Angela has helped our staff grow too,” Michelle reflects. “They’ve built new skills, embraced new technologies, and become more confident in inclusive practices.”

A toolkit for the sector - and the future

While the toolkit may have started in Victor Harbor, its future is statewide - and potentially national. Dozens of councils have already accessed the resource, and interest continues to grow.

“There’s no need for every council to start from scratch,” Michelle says. “We’ve done the work so others can hit the ground running.”

That’s what makes this project truly award-winning - not just what it achieved within one council, but what it makes possible for many.

Advice for others? Don’t be afraid to celebrate your work.

For teams considering nominating next year, Michelle’s advice is simple: “Go for it. It’s a chance to reflect, to share what you’ve achieved, and to inspire others. If you’re proud of what you’ve done, let others learn from it.”

And if Victor Harbor’s experience is anything to go by, the ripple effects can be profound.

As Michelle puts it: “Local government thrives when it reflects the full diversity of its community. This project proved that when we invest in accessibility, everyone benefits.”

Thank you to our partner Maxima for sponsoring the Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Award.

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