Farah Madon

ACA Accredited Access Consultant

Farah Madon AM is one of Australia's leading Accredited Access Consultants, inclusive design specialists, and accessibility experts. She is an Architect, ACA Accredited Access Consultant, and the Founder and Director of Vista Access Architects, with more than 25 years of experience delivering expert advice on disability access, universal design, and accessibility compliance throughout Australia.

Farah works with government agencies, developers, architects, designers, builders, certifiers, and project teams to deliver practical, innovative, and compliant accessibility solutions across a diverse range of projects. Her expertise spans universal design, disability access consulting, inclusive design, accessible housing, Livable Housing Design Standards, Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA), National Construction Code (NCC) compliance, and the Australian Standards for Access and Mobility (including AS1428 series, AS2890.6 and AS4299).

Farah is the Lead Author of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) Design Standard, a nationally significant document that has helped shape the design and quality of specialist housing for people with disability across Australia. Her leadership has had a lasting impact on improving accessibility, independence, and inclusion within the built environment.

Widely recognised as a leader in the accessibility profession, Farah is the Current National President of Access Consultants Association (ACA) and has served on the Management Committee of the ACA since 2010 and . She is also the Editor of E-Access Insight, Australia's leading publication dedicated to accessibility, universal design, and inclusive built environments.

Farah continues to influence accessibility policy, legislation, and technical standards through her appointments to several national committees. She is a member of the Australian Standards ME-064 Committee responsible for AS 1428 suite and AS 4299, the Australian Building Codes Board's Livable Housing Implementation Advisory Committee, the NDIS SDA Design Standards Technical Working Group, and Changing Places Australia's Technical Advisory Panel. Through these leadership roles, she contributes to the ongoing development of Australia's accessibility standards and inclusive design framework.

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)
  • Registered Assessor of Livable Housing Australia. 
  • Internationally Certified Access Consultant GAATES ICAC. 
  • Registered Assessor of Changing Places Australia.

Access related Committees

Current Committee roles include:

  • Access Consultants Association (ACA) Management Commitee (currently in President role)
  • 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
  • NDIS SDA Technical working group set up by KPMG, developing NDIS SDA Design Standard v2
  • ABCB’s (Australian Building Codes Board’s) Livable Housing Implementation Advisory Committee (LHIAC).
  • AIA’s (Australian Institute of Architect's) National Enabling Architecture Committee

Past Committee roles include:

  • Past committee member of Penrith City Council's Access Committee
  • Past Director and Vice President of Livable Housing Australia (LHA)
  • Past committee member of Penrith Disabilities Resource Centre (PDRC)
  • Past committee member of Penrith Disability Action Forum (PDAF)
  • Past LHA Industry Reference Group member
  • Past NDIS Specialist Disability Accommodation Industry Reference Group member

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
  • 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 ‘Penrith Citizen of the Year’ award for ‘championing accessibility and inclusion both at a Local and at a National level’.
  • 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 ‘Everyone Can Play’.
  • Input into the Australian Standards AS1428.1-2021 and Interm Standard AS1428.6-2026 (yet to be released)

Research Projects

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

Fulfil your built environment accessibility requirements by collaborating with our expert team of Access Consultants

Fulfil your built environment accessibility requirements by collaborating with our expert team of Access Consultants