Farah Madon

Farah Madon AM is Accredited Access Consultant with over 25 years of experience in the field of Architecture and Access.

She is the Lead Author of the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard and the current President ACA (Access Consultants Association).

Educational Background

Bachelor of Architecture Degree with Honours (B.Arch.)
International Certification of Accessibility Consultants–Built Environment (ICAC-BE) Program, Level 2 Advanced Accessibility Consultant
Diploma of Access Consulting CPP50711
Accredited Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Assessor's Course
Standards Australia's course on 'Writing Australian Standards'
Changing Places Australia's Training for Assessors
OHS Construction Induction Training Certificate

Professional Affiliations

Accredited Fellow of the Access Consultants Association ACA (previously known as ACAA).
NDIS Accredited SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Assessor.
Architect, registered with the NSW Architect's Registration Board.
Member of Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA), A+ Practice member.
Registered Assessor of Livable Housing Australia.
Internationally Certified Access Consultant GAATES ICAC.
Registered Assessor of Changing Places Australia.

Access related Committees

Australian Standards ME-064 Committee which is responsible for the AS1428 suite of Australian Standards for Access and Mobility and AS4299 Adaptable Housing
Changing Places Australia’s Technical Advisory Panel
ABCB’s (Australian Building Codes Board’s) Livable Housing Implementation Advisory Committee (LHIAC).
AIA’s (Australian Institute of Architect's) National Enabling Architecture Committee

Recent Awards

2026-appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day 2026 Honours List, for ‘significant service to architecture and to people with disability’.
2023, awarded the NSW Government’s Mulgoa Local woman of the year for ‘making a significant impact, ensuring that those living with disabilities have access to safe and secure housing’
2022, awarded the Fellow membership of ACA
2019, awarded the ‘Penrith Citizen of the Year’ award for ‘championing accessibility and inclusion both at a Local and at a National level’.
2021, awarded the ‘Australian Access Award’ for the Educational App of the Year by the Australian Centre for Accessibility for SDA Tools.
2021, awarded the ‘Excellence in Inclusion Award’ for being ‘a champion of accessibility and inclusion’.
2019, awarded the ‘National Access Inclusion Award’ for an outstanding level of Access and Inclusion.

Publications

Lead Author of the NDIS SDA (Specialist Disability Accommodation) Design Standard.
Input into the Australian Human Rights Commission's Advisory Document on the use of Mobility Scooters in Registered Clubs and other public spaces
Technical input into book, "Managing the Paralypics" by Palgrave Macmillan Publishers Ltd in Chapter of "Accessibility as a key management component of the Paralympics"
Input into Livable Housing Australia’s Guidelines document as a part of the LHA Industry Reference Group member
Regular contributor of articles and as the Editor of Access Insight Magazine which is a publication of the Access Consultants Association
Input into NSW Government's-Inclusive design of playgrounds called ‘Everyone Can Play’.
Input into the Australian Standards 1-2021

Research Projects

Research project with UTS (University of Technology Syndey) on Accessible Bathrooms .
Research into Accessible facilities-Accessible toilets-for the NSW Department of Family and Community

Throughout my career as an Access Consultant, my work has been driven by the belief that architecture has a responsibility beyond buildings - to support dignity, inclusion and independence for all.

Farah Madon AM