Office for Disability Issues
Email Newsletter – 8 June 2012
This email is a regular update from the Office for Disability Issues on
our work and recent disability-related news. Previous email updates
are on our website at:
http://www.odi.govt.nz/resources/publications/e-mail-update.html
Contents
Part one: Office for Disability Issues and government news ............. 2
01: Message from Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for Disability
Issues ................................................................................................ 2
02: Progress report on including disabled people in the
Canterbury recovery .......................................................................... 4
03: Revised Home and Community Support Sector Standard ................. 4
04: Booklets about the Ministry of Health’s hearing aid services ............. 5
05: Launch of Blueprint II ........................................................................ 6
06: Mental Health Commission being disestablished ............................... 6
Part two Sector news ............................................................................ 6
07: New Chief Executive at Deaf Aotearoa.............................................. 6
08: Accessible Housing Forum, Christchurch .......................................... 7
09: Elder Abuse Awareness Day ............................................................. 7
10: With Three Clicks exhibition .............................................................. 7
11: Day seminars on Autism Spectrum Disorder ..................................... 7
12: Vodafone Foundation Canterbury Fund............................................. 8
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Part one: Office for Disability Issues and government
news
01: Message from Hon Tariana Turia, Minister for Disability
Issues
Tena koutou katoa.
June began with Queen’s Birthday. I was
delighted to see a number of disabled people
honoured in the Queens Birthday and Diamond
Jubilee Honours for 2012.
John Kirwan (Knight Companion of the Order)
has quite rightly been honoured for his services
to mental health and rugby.
Gary Williams of Christchurch (Member of the New Zealand Order of
Merit) was Chief Executive of the Disabled Persons Assembly for
eleven years, and has been on the Access Ability Board since 2010.
Gary was also involved in the development of the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
It is pleasing to see that the service and support provided to people
who are Deaf or hearing impaired is being acknowledged, with the
award of the Queen’s Service Medal to Karen Pointon of Lower Hutt,
and to Hemi Hema of Hamilton. Both Karen and Hemi have been
involved with Deaf Aotearoa for many years, as well as assisting
other groups to increase accessibility for Deaf people.
Other people in the disability sector honoured with a Queen’s Service
Medal included Rainus Baker from Whakatane, for services to people
with an intellectual disability; David Tamatea of Opunake for services
to disability support and to Māori; and Vicki Wall of Lower Hutt, for
services to people with disabilities.
I recently visited the University of Canterbury, to learn about a
research project focusing on a particular group of young people who
aspire to be part of, and contribute to, their communities.
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This research project was called “My life when I leave school”. It
looked at what kind of life students and young people with intellectual
disability want, and what is important to them as they transition from
school to post-school life.
The research has been undertaken by Caroline Quick and Andrew
Dever, two vibrant young people who have Down syndrome, with
Colin Gladstone who manages the Lead School Transition Service in
Christchurch.
The research found that young people with intellectual disability want
the same opportunities as everyone else. They want courses and
training in tertiary education that lead onto something. They want paid
work. In short, they want to feel part of the community. But, for these
things to happen, the research found that they need a good transition
plan, and they need good support after leaving school.
Research like this can feed into the exciting opportunities presented
by the Canterbury recovery, to find innovative solutions to some of
the systemic, exclusionary issues that confront disabled people.
On 28 May 2012, I attended a symposium in Christchurch on
emergency preparedness and responses for disabled people. It was
a wonderful occasion that brought together disabled people, their
whānau, and the many organisations and service providers who have
a role to play in protecting the wellbeing of our citizens in
emergencies.
We talked about the need to manaaki everyone in our communities,
and the need to have preparations and responses in place to ensure
that we leave no one behind, that no one is forgotten when we are
faced with crises, disaster or emergency.
As a result of this symposium, I expect the relevant government
agencies, emergency services, NGOs, and disabled people
themselves to plan so that they are better prepared to meet the
needs of all our citizens, including disabled people, in emergencies.
Mauriora!
Nā Tariana
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02: Progress report on including disabled people in the
Canterbury recovery
Hon Turia reported to Cabinet on including disabled people in the
Canterbury recovery. Cabinet agreed in May 2012 that the four
priorities areas for including disabled people in the Canterbury
recovery will be to:
- enable good lives: reconfigure supports and services so disabled
adults and children (and their families/whānau) receive more personcentred supports, in their local communities, and have more choice
and control over the supports they receive
- improve the accessibility of the built environment: by actively
working to support accessibility for disabled and older people as a
key focus for the repair and rebuild of property and infrastructure in
Canterbury
- support access to employment opportunities: so disabled job
seekers have opportunities to be employed in recovery-related work
- improve emergency preparedness: by using the lessons from the
Canterbury earthquakes to improve the response for disabled and
older people in future emergencies (in Canterbury and elsewhere in
New Zealand).
Read the full Cabinet paper at:
http://www.odi.govt.nz/documents/what-we-do/ministerial-committeeon-disability-issues/cabinet-progress-report-on-disability-action-plancanterbury-30-april-2012.doc .
03: Revised Home and Community Support Sector Standard
On 19 April 2012, Standards New Zealand released the revised
Home and Community Support Sector Standard, NZS 8158.
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Key improvements in the new Standard are:
- a shift towards a more person-centred support, where people are
empowered to make decisions about their own lives
- a stronger focus on outcomes for people receiving support
- recognition that the range and type of support provided is evolving
as more people with acute and complex needs are being supported
to live in their own homes for longer.
The Ministry of Health is working with District Health Boards, ACC,
and Home and Community Support Service providers and auditing
agencies to identify the best way to ensure conformance with the
revised Standard.
The revised Standard can be purchased via:
http://www.standards.co.nz/webshop/?action=viewSearchProduct&mod=catalog&pid=8158%3A2012
%28NZS%29&searchId=1423100&searchOrderingIndex=1&searchS
essionId=5180C5C22E19EBB184E25D9CDCF4C502 .
04: Booklets about the Ministry of Health’s hearing aid services
Two booklets about the Ministry of Health’s hearing aid services for
consumers have been published. When a person with hearing loss is
considering getting hearing aids, their audiologist will provide a
booklet to inform them about what to expect from the audiology
service. The information includes the types of available hearing aids
and associated costs.
The booklets are:
- Guide to Getting Hearing Aids – Hearing Aid Subsidy Scheme
- Guide to Getting Hearing Aids – Hearing Aid Funding Scheme.
Each is available in a PDF format on the www.health.govt.nz website
and will soon be available in New Zealand Sign Language.
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05: Launch of Blueprint II
Blueprint II is to be launched at Parliament on 13 June 2012.
Blueprint II is a ten year plan to make sure that future users of mental
health and addiction services, their families and whānau are getting
the services they need, when they need them and where they need
them.
It has been developed by the Mental Health Commission in close
consultation with the wider mental health and addiction sector. The
implementation of Blueprint II will be monitored by the Office of the
Health and Disability Commissioner.
06: Mental Health Commission being disestablished
As foreshadowed by the Minister for State Services in August last
year, the Mental Health Commission is being disestablished.
From 1 July 2012, the Office of the Health and Disability
Commissioner will provide advocacy and monitoring of the mental
health and addiction sector alongside its current role. This will include
championing the Blueprint II work.
Part two Sector news
07: New Chief Executive at Deaf Aotearoa
Lachlan Keating has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of
Deaf Aotearoa.
For details, go to: http://www.deaf.co.nz/news/latest-news/new-chiefexecutive-at-deaf-aotearoa .
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08: Accessible Housing Forum, Christchurch
Disabled Persons Assembly Christchurch and Districts is holding an
Accessible Housing Forum on 11 July 2012.
For further information, contact Karim Baradi (DPA Co-ordinator) at
Email: dpachch@cyberxpress.co.nz , or phone: 03 379 8525, or text:
021 0268 6733.
09: Elder Abuse Awareness Day
New Zealand is marking the seventh World Elder Abuse Awareness
Day on 15 June 2012. A key priority is to promote a wider
understanding of elder abuse and neglect and to look at more
consistent approaches to addressing elder abuse and neglect across
communities and agencies.
For information on competitions, displays, seminars and other
activities being held across the country on the day, go to:
http://www.ageconcern.org.nz/safety/elder-abuse/world-elder-abuseawareness-day-events .
10: With Three Clicks exhibition
Dance Aotearoa New Zealand (DANZ) is presenting an exhibition at
Toi Poneke Gallery, Wellington, on 13 to 17 June 2012.
With Three Clicks is a digital storytelling and exhibition project which
explores disabled people’s lives, and challenges the perceptions of
dance for disabled people. It aims to increase visibility and knowledge
of the lives and aspirations of disabled people who dance.
For details, go to: http://www.danz.org.nz/diary.php .
11: Day seminars on Autism Spectrum Disorder
Dr Tony Attwood is offering seminars on Cognitive abilities: a different
way of thinking and learning; and Managing challenging behaviour in
children with autism, in Napier on 11 September 2012, and
Wellington 13 September 2012.
For details, go to: http://www.creatingsuccess.co.nz .
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12: Vodafone Foundation Canterbury Fund
The Vodafone Foundation Canterbury Fund was established in
partnership with the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust in 2011,
to support the rebuilding of Christchurch. The aim is to make a
positive, long term difference within Christchurch communities and be
agile and flexible as needs emerge.
In 2012, grants of between $5,000 and $50,000 will be made
available for youth focused projects and capital/infrastructure
projects.
Projects that will be considered include: projects that benefit young
people such as youth employment/transition, sport and recreation
(physical spaces and activities/programmes), health (mental and
physical) and education and infrastructure and capital projects (in the
areas of education, sport and recreation, heritage and culture,
hardship, spiritual and religion and/or environment).
For details, go to http://foundation.vodafone.co.nz/canterbury-fund .
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