Accessibility and inclusion

We're committed to creating a safe, inclusive and empowering environment where everyone can thrive.

Our vision for accessibility and inclusion

We start from the position that inclusive and accessible design is good for everyone.

We’re committed to breaking down barriers to participation and improving customer access to our products and services. By creating a safe, inclusive, and empowering environment.

Supporting and enabling our customers and people by using industry expertise and advances will ensure banking with us is positive and seamless.

Our Accessibility and Inclusion Plan 2024-26

Our plan articulates our dedication to establishing an accessible bank for our customers, team members, and the communities we operate in. It sets out our strategies for enhancing customer access and breaking down barriers that might exist within the bank.

Our plan includes commitment across four key areas:

Our customers,
Our people,
Inclusive design, and
Our communities and partners.

With a total of 18 commitments over three years, our plan is designed to make it easy for people to access information, communicate with us, and use our products and services.

Read the Accessibility and Inclusion Plan 2024-26 as a screen-reader accessible web version.

Download the plan as a PDF

Our accessibility and inclusion artwork

Feeling valued

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Accessibility and Inclusion Plan features an original design by South Australian artist and poet, Oliver Mills.

Oliver Mills lives with epilepsy, vision impairment, and cerebral palsy - a physical condition that affects muscle movement and verbal communication. Using specially designed equipment, and in collaboration with his art mentor, Henry ‘Jock’ Walker, Oliver creates artworks that offer a visual expression of how he experiences the world.

You can find out more about Oliver and his business, Oliver’s Choice, by visiting his website www.oliverschoice.net or by following him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube or TikTok @Olivers_Choice

Hear more from Oliver and his experience creating this artwork for Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.

AU Skip navigation Search Avatar image 0:01 / 1:59 Oliver Mills, Accessibility & Inclusion Plan artist 2023

0:12:02
I am Oliver Mills, a poet and artist.

0:18:16
I have created a lot of different artworks. One of my artworks was

0:23:14
used on the pin for International Day of People Living with Disability.

0:35:23
I love painting and using charcoals. I like to use my hands with the thick, acrylic paint.

0:44:16
What I like most is the feel of the paint on my fingers and the scratchy sounds I can make.

0:51:09
It's fun to paint, especially when Jock my mentor ties funny contraptions to my fingers.

0:59:19
Jock: Hanging out with other artists with disability,

1:01:13
the more I learn, and you just slowly find discoveries. Ollie does something

1:06:00
you've never seen before and it's great to extend his opportunity to painting process.

0:59:19
Ollie: I feel pleasure and satisfaction when people buy my art. I want them to think that

1:17:00
my artwork is interesting, fantastic and special.

1:21:00
Kerry (Ollie's mum) For Ollie to have this chance to showcase his work on a much bigger stage,

1:27:11
it's lovely. But even just to paint and do charcoal and enjoy it, it's very important.

1:37:05
Ollie: Just because I have a disability doesn't mean I

1:44:15
can't achieve the same as someone who doesn't have a disability. Nothing is

1:49:24
impossible if we keep trying and persevering and don't give up.

Oliver Mills, Accessibility & Inclusion Plan artist story

Lisa: Ollie is an artist, a really talented artist, a poet. He's won awards, he's a writer. I actually came across Ollie's work a few years ago as part of International Day for people with disability he created an artwork that was turned into a pin and we actually got that pin out to all of our branches across Australia to wear as part of a celebration and bringing awareness to International Day for People with Disability and while we were doing that we found out that Ollie is actually a customer of Bendigo bank and so when it came time to create our own accessibility and inclusion plan we thought of Ollie straight away.

Jock: We're making an abstract painting the process is like Ollie's got different skill sets he's really good at scratching so it's like we're exploring the moves Ollie can make and then how we can extend that to make it work for Ollie. I think all these paintings are great, it's good for people to see them and discover the story, Ollie's story. working with Jock, Ollie's become more independent with his art and lots of wonderful things have happened we've had this wonderful opportunity it's great. Slowing down a bit when I'm hanging out with Ollie to learn a bit more about him anyone with disability trying to have access to like mainstream things that seem accessible but they're not necessarily. Having Bendigo Bank to be thinking about that and opening up to that is is really generous.

Ollie: It's fun to paint, I want them to think that my artwork is interesting fantastic and special I want them to love the art I create. Lisa: It's been really important to us to showcase what Ollie can do and feature it as
part of the work we do on accessibility and inclusion. I'm just really grateful to Ollie to really just help us, I think smash some of those barriers and assumptions we make on what people can and can't achieve.

Ollie: This is a fantastic and special moment for me. I think it's amazing my painting will be seen by lots of people. I feel valued.

Ollie's mum: I'm just really happy for Ollie. Ollie's thrilled and we're thrilled that Ollie's had this opportunity, I think it's amazing.

Lisa: For me I think it's about not making assumptions. Not making assumptions on what people can or can't do because of a disability and really looking at what people can do or asking the question or being open-minded to learn more.

Jock: Everyone's equal so it's like to be able to make it everything available for people with different challenges is is really healthy and I think it's really important to include, include everyone.

Accessibility and Inclusion Plan launch

The unveiling of the artwork by South Australian Artist and Poet Oliver Mills took place on 27 November 2023 on the land of the Kaurna People.

Commissioned by the Bank in support the 2024-2026 Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Accessibility and Inclusion Plan, the artwork called ‘Feeling Valued’ now hangs in the foyer of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Grenfell Street corporate office.

Bruce Spiers, Chief Operating Officer, Jason Tinsley, Deputy Chair BEN Ability and Lisa Mignone, Senior Manager Diversity and Inclusion were joined by Oliver Mills, his art mentor Jock, mother Kerri and many family and friends along with BEN Ability team members and colleagues to acknowledge the special occasion.

Website accessibility

We aim to meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1 AA on our websites by:

Our website designs are responsive and adjust to fit the most popular devices' screen display sizes.
We use icons to help explain information and our online forms also feature descriptive error messages to help users complete.
The text size on each website page is adjustable and within our content we also use simple paragraphs and lists for enhanced readability.
We make sure foreground and background colours meet colour contrast requirements.
Our buttons are clearly labelled and we make sure that links make sense out of context.
We use correctly structured semantic HTML to aid users who tab through content and use screen readers.
Our search and navigation options are keyboard accessible and available across the website.

We avoid using complex language within our web content.
We avoid the over-use of abbreviations or industry jargon.
We avoid using colour alone to convey meaning.

Ways to bank

There are many different ways to bank with us. Find out more about our in-person, phone, online or on-the-go services.

Ways to bank with us

We value your feedback

We continually strive to improve our accessibility and we value feedback from you on ways we can improve our access or fix any problems. Please contact us if there is information on this website, or in any of our digital channels, which you cannot access.

Online

Use our online customer feedback form.

Or use our online messaging service to chat with a staff member.

Visit a branch

Speak to a staff member at one of our branches.

Phone

Call us on 1300 236 344

Or from overseas +61 3 5445 0666

National Relay Service

Users who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can call through the National Relay Service:

TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 1300 236 344.
Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay) users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 1300 236 344.
Internet relay users connect to the National Relay Service and then ask for 1300 236 344.