Succeeding Together: Fostering a culture of consumer engagement
2nd National Disability Conference, 11 June 2012, Alexandra Park, Auckland
Summary of Feedback
Thank you to all of those who attended the 2nd National disability conference at Alexandra Park in
Auckland on 11 June 2012. This year the conference was attended by over 350 people including
consumers, family members and unpaid carers, representatives of consumer organisations, disability
service providers, government officials, suppliers of disability related products and services, and of
course our esteemed speakers and presenters. The conference was a great success and provided the
opportunity for people to catch up with some old friends and to make some new friends.
We asked participants to complete an evaluation form and a summary of the results of that
feedback is provided below. In total we received 95 completed evaluation forms including those
received on the day and forms that people emailed or posted to us after the conference. Sixty-one
percent of people who completed evaluation forms reported that the conference met or exceeded
their expectations, and a further 25% reported that the conference mostly met their expectations.
We also received informal feedback from 15 more participants via email during the days following
the conference. These participants did not complete an evaluation form, hence they are not
included in the statistics above; however, their feedback is incorporated in the summary below
under the appropriate heading.
In the evaluation form, the participants were invited to provide feedback on four specific questions.
Some of the comments received are summarised below.
1) What did you like the most about the conference?
Some attendees commented on how much they enjoyed individual speakers, while some
commented on their overall conference experience.
Below is a summary of what many conference participants reported as their highlight of the
conference:
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Range of topics — people enjoyed the range of topics offered at the conference.
Excellent speakers — overall, people were impressed with the calibre of the speakers and
appreciated the fact that the majority of speakers had “lived” experience of disability.
Networking opportunity — people commented that there was a good mix of people from the
disability sector, and the time between 1pm and 2pm kept specifically for catching up with
other people provided a great networking opportunity.
Interactive activities — people enjoyed the choice of drumming and dancing sessions, as well as
the option of having free time.
Discussion opportunities — the hour-long workshops gave people sufficient time to ask
questions or have group discussions. This was appreciated by many participants.
Networking circles — provided good opportunity for discussion with people with similar
interests.
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Nothing about us without us — people appreciated the consumer focus of the conference.
Very well organised — a number of people commented that the conference was very well
organised and had a friendly team of volunteers.
Good venue and good food — people found the venue very spacious and accessible and
enjoyed the food.
Fun and informative — many people commented that the conference had a good mix of fun
and information.
2) What did you like the least about the conference?
Below is a summary of the things that people liked least about the conference:
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Room layout for Networking Circles (1pm–2pm) — people commented that it was difficult to
hear the discussion in their group as they were disturbed by the noise from other groups.
People felt it would have been better to have had networking circle topics in different rooms.
Format of Networking Circles — people also suggested that rather than leaving it open for the
conference participants to share their views, it would have been better if each topic had been
facilitated by a relevant expert on the subject. Getting some answers then and there would
have been helpful.
Sessions not solution focused — some people felt that there was a lot of discussion around
where we are now, but that the presenters did not give any solutions for what is required for
the future and how to get there.
A bit rushed — people felt that it would be better to have the conference over two days, as
there was too much content for one day.
Venue related
o Rooms too cold at times
o Not enough tables to sit and eat at
o Too much sunlight on the screens making it difficult to see.
A number of people who completed this section wrote that there was nothing that they did not like
about the conference — it was “all good”.
3) What kinds of topics would you like to see included at future conferences?
We received a wide variety of topic suggestions affecting every aspect of a person’s life. The broad
categories in which those topics could be divided include:
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Disability support services and funding models
Education — including transition from school
Employment
Natural supports and formal supports
Advocacy, including self-advocacy and supported decision-making
Culturally appropriate services
Engagement at provider, policy and governance level
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Quality of service, including issues around abuse and power imbalance
Good practice examples of service provision
In future, run the conference in other parts of the country
A number of people who completed this section wrote that instead of any new topics, they would
prefer more of the same topics covered in more detail.
4) Do you have any other comments and/or suggestions?
In response to this question, different people commented on different aspects of the conference.
Below is a summary of the “other comments” provided by conference participants:
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Fabulous conference — thank you
Very well organised — great friendly team
Great venue and food
Brilliant speakers
Good variety of trade displays
Very diverse audience
Great networking and discussion opportunities
More one-on-one support should have been provided to visually impaired people
Trade displays should have been more visible instead of at the back of the room
Such conferences should be attended by more consumers and families
Looking forward to the next one
Thank you everyone for providing such valuable feedback. We can assure you that we will take on
board your feedback in planning our next conference, and try to make it just as informative,
accessible and enjoyable for one and all!
Thank you!