Through a personal connection, ENVEE Digital joined a grassroots campaign advocating for accessibility upgrades at Ivanhoe Train Station in Melbourne. The pro bono initiative applied professional expertise in strategic planning, digital infrastructure and communications to support a cause that mattered.
The Challenge
Ivanhoe Train Station, a hub station in Melbourne’s Metro network, lacked Tactile Ground Surface Indicators (TGSI) – the raised dots that help visually impaired people navigate platforms safely. Without them, the station was inaccessible for blind commuters, including Lilly, a university student and family friend who needed to travel independently to Melbourne University.
The problem was not new. Lilly’s family had spent five years making polite requests to local council and state government. Five years of emails and phone calls. Five years of being ignored.
Out of 222 train stations in Melbourne’s Metro network, 196 had TGSI installed. Ivanhoe was one of 26 still creating unnecessary barriers to independent travel.
Polite hadn’t worked. It was time to make some noise.
The Approach
ENVEE Digital provided strategic and digital support as part of the campaign team, working behind the scenes while Lilly and her family remained the public faces of the campaign.
Strategic planning: Worked with the campaign team to define a specific, actionable goal – securing TGSI installation at Ivanhoe Station to enable independent travel for Lilly and other visually impaired commuters. Vague advocacy goals diffuse effort. A clear, measurable target keeps a campaign focused.
Campaign management: Managed behind-the-scenes operations, coordinating timing, messaging and stakeholder outreach while keeping the campaign’s authentic community voice front and centre.
Digital infrastructure: Set up the change.org petition and supporting technology. Provided strategic advice on timing, messaging and target audience to maximise reach without losing credibility.
Communications: Crafted and reviewed critical communications to ensure clarity and impact. Facilitated outreach with local media, stakeholders and decision-makers.
Website development: Built an accessible advocacy platform that blind users could navigate as both visitors and content contributors. Full technical details are documented in the WebSolutionZ portfolio.
The Outcome
The campaign secured over 10,000 petition signatures and attracted significant media attention including television news, radio interviews and online news coverage.
In April 2025, Minister for Transport Infrastructure Hon. Gabrielle Williams and local Member of Parliament Hon. Anthony Carbines announced that TGSI installation at Ivanhoe Station would proceed in May 2025.
The work was completed June 2025.
Ivanhoe Station Accessibility is now an official advocacy project on Banyule Council’s website, with a dedicated advocacy officer. What started as five years of ignored requests became formal local government advocacy through strategic grassroots campaign work.
Five years of polite requests: nothing. Five months of strategic campaign: installation scheduled and completed.
Lessons Learned
Define clear, achievable goals. “Make our station accessible” is too broad. “Install TGSI at Ivanhoe Station by June 2025” gives everyone something concrete to work toward, and also makes it harder for decision-makers to delay without a visible reason.
Strategic digital initiatives mobilise support. The petition platform, accessible website and coordinated communications turned individual frustration into collective action.
Authentic voices build trust. Lilly and her family were the campaign faces. Professional support happened behind the scenes where it belonged. Community trust does not come from consultants.
Outcomes take sustained effort. This wasn’t a quick social media campaign. It required strategic planning, consistent messaging and coordination across multiple stakeholders over five months.
What’s Next
Accessibility challenges persist. Twenty-five train stations across Melbourne Metro still lack TGSI. Ivanhoe Station’s 100-year-old overhead bridge remains a significant barrier for elderly commuters, wheelchair users, parents with prams and visually impaired passengers. The work isn’t finished.
We’ve created a free Community Campaign Toolkit sharing what worked in this campaign, to support others driving change in their own communities.
