Mayor welcomes Aquatic Centre upgrade

Orange mayor John Davis OAM, has welcomed the announcement a lift, designed to aid people in wheelchairs to change and then access the water-proof wheelchair, would be installed early in the new year.

"This will ensure people with a disability will have access to the pool and will be able to have dignity and modesty after the lift is installed in the change-rooms on the pool deck," Cr Davis said.

The Minister for Ageing and Disability Services John Ajaka visited the Orange Aquatic Centre to announce $35,000 worth of funding.

The Lift and Change Facilities Trial is being administered by Local Government NSW, with Spinal Cord Injuries Association providing project expertise. Lift & Change Facilities cater for people with disability with very high support needs who cannot access regular accessible toilets.

Orange City Council is developing the facility at the Orange Aquatic Centre through retrofitting a change room on the pool deck.

Funding of $35,000 is provided under the Lift & Change Facilities Trial. The Lift & Change facility will enable the aquatic centre to better service the needs of their current user groups.

“There are many people in Orange with a disability who are regular faces in the Aquatic Centre,” Cr Davis said.

“This new equipment will help the pool staff work with even more people with a greater range of disabilities.”

“It’s important that people with disabilities and their carers have the same privacy as everyone else to change into their swimming gear and then use one of the water wheel-chairs.

"It will also make it far easier for people with disabilities to move from their own wheelchair to the pool's water-proof wheelchair."