DPA Bites December 2007/January 2008
Wow - it's almost 2008
We are at the end of 2007 and 2008 is looming. This year we've seen the repeal of the misnamed Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act, our Government signing up to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a select committee inquiry into support services for disabled people, the review of the NZ Disability Strategy (NZDS), DPA Regional Capacity Fora, local body elections, another successful DPA AGM, and the strengthening of DPA's relationships with our allies.
We are at the end of 2007 and 2008 is looming. This year we've seen the repeal of the misnamed Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act, our Government signing up to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a select committee inquiry into support services for disabled people, the review of the NZ Disability Strategy (NZDS), DPA Regional Capacity Fora, local body elections, another successful DPA AGM, and the strengthening of DPA's relationships with our allies.
My personal highlight was being in New York in March to watch Minister Dyson sign us all up to the UN Convention and the explicit commitment to adhere to the Convention. DPA, and our allies, must be at the forefront of ensuring that that potential of the Convention is realised through its meaningful implementation. This means that we can't be spectators in our own lives.
Looking ahead, the coming year will be a busy one. This time next year I want to be able to report that our country has ratified and is implementing the Convention, the Regional Capacity Fora were again successful, we finished reviewing DPA and are actively changing the way we operate, we had a remarkable AGM & Conference, the outcome of the general elections is great for disabled people and our prospects for a good life is taking shape. That's what I want!
The team at the DPA National Secretariat - Lorraine, Wendi, Robert, Julia and I - thank you for your on-going support. We hope you have a great Christmas and a restful New Year break because we all need to be refreshed for the work that needs to be done in the next 12 months.
Gary Williams
DPA's 2007 AGM
The DPA AGM was held in Palmerston North with about 60 people attending.
Keeping up the momentum of work for the rights of people with disabilities is the main task now the UN Convention has been signed, DPA President Mike Gourley told last month's well-attended Annual General Meeting in Palmerston North. 'The UN Convention may give more weight to the Disability Strategy statements about valuing us,' he said. 'But how do we change the cultural attitudes of those whose decisions undermine the value of our lives?'
The Government's review of the implementation of the NZDS is due at the end of this year, and the problems of that process will be reflected in the report, he said.
New Zealand's ratification of the UN Convention has been delayed, said Mike Gourley in his Presidential report. 'The upside is we have more time to work on the strategy to implement it.'
The strategy devised so far has three stages:
- Celebrating - saying a big 'thank you' to New Zealand for its leadership and its partnership with disabled people.
- Educating - ensuring all New Zealanders are aware of the Convention and what it means in practice.
- Activating a campaign to ensure government agencies and others take seriously the actions required of them, so that the Convention is a reality for disabled people.
Mike Gourley said there were good reasons for making so much of the Convention. "It gives us a hook to organise around key issues, such as employment and education.
"It is a way to harness government and other resources, such as the Ministry of Education and Workbridge, to work jointly across these issues.
"It is a unifying campaign, around which we can work with People First, CCS Disability Action and other disability advocacy groups."
Where to for DPA?
The strategic review of DPA has taken much longer than first anticipated, but the recommendations point to three priority areas for action:
- Establishing a proper focus on issues that impact on disabled people.
- Creating a much stronger and more effective connection between the national leadership, regions and the national secretariat.
- Building an effective marketing and communication capacity.
DPA needs to choose a number of issues which can be campaigned on at both regional and national levels, the review suggests. It identifies as priority areas:
- Employment rights and associated social and economic hardship experienced by disabled people. There could be government and business buy-in to a campaign around the issue of under-employed people with disabilities, driven by labour shortages and the repeal of the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act.
- Tackling the backlash against inclusion in the education sector.
- Quality of living in the community could focus on services centred around the individual, ability to choose how and where to live, and the struggle against mini-institutionalisation.
- Taking part in community life, including getting around - mobility and the accessible journey.
Regional and national connectedness is a major issue and the review suggested significant restructuring of the national body to give more emphasis to work at regional level. This recommendation was the main focus of discussion at the annual meeting, which however failed to point to a clear way forward. In the end it was agreed to refer the issue back to the National Executive Committee for further consideration taking the comments and concerns expressed from the floor into account.
A remit on recognition of the support needs of people with disabilities, especially in the area of communication, received a thorough airing and was eventually passed. Other discussion topics included antenatal Down Syndrome screening, gaining input to the current Bioethics Council consultation, ensuring buildings are safe to get out of as well as get into, and fund-raising initiatives.
National Executive Committee elections
Mike Gourley (Wellington), was confirmed as President and Beverley Grammer (Whakatane) was confirmed as Vice-President.
Rongomaiwahine Higgins (Wellington) and John Scully (Invercargill) were elected for their first term on the committee while David Corner (Dunedin), Brendon Murray (Invercargill) and Wendy Neilson (Tauranga) were re-elected.
They join Linda Beck (Christchurch), Eamon Daly (Christchurch), Debbie Mudgway (Hastings), Ken Talbot (Timaru), Cheryl Wallace (Gore) and Dot Wilson (Invercargill)
The Committee's first meeting will be sometime in February 2008.
Recognition of faithful service
Long-serving NEC member Marion Wellington was farewelled after eight years of service at national level, and presented with a taonga. "Nothing changes society more, promotes the rights and value of disabled people, and makes a world of difference in the lives of disabled people, than high profile honest, credible, conscientious, hard-working, and in particular wise disabled people being active in their community as well as nationally," said former DPA President Paul Gibson in his tribute.
"Thank you for saying yes to those who persuaded you to take up a national role, and thank you for your part in stewarding DPA through the last few years and taking it to a new point in its development. And thank you Marion for putting the time, energy, and wisdom you have into disabled people, into your community, and into DPA."
Progress gathers pace
Minister for Disability Issues Ruth Dyson was upbeat in her address to the Annual General Meeting. Unable to attend personally, she provided a six-page text for DPA President Mike Gourley to read to those present.
"It feels like we have transcended a new threshold, reaching a critical level that ensures progress can only gather pace," she began. She expressed her pride in representing New Zealand at the United Nations in New York in March 2007, being able to proclaim the success of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
"The use of partnerships with disabled people was a break through. Not just in consultation, but involvement on the floor and in discussion in the negotiations alongside States. Sustained action by New Zealand played a part in achieving this change. And it resulted in a Convention that was negotiated in record time, and reflecting the practical needs that disabled people have, in both developed and developing States."
The next step, ratification, requires New Zealand laws to line up with the Convention, and Ms Dyson said it was important to be able to comply with the convention with full confidence. "This process does take time," she warned. "There are further opportunities for building robust partnerships with the disability sector and government departments as our attention moves to our domestic implementation. It requires new ways of working together. I welcome your leadership to find the best and appropriate ways to get these partnerships working."
Putting the New Zealand Disability Strategy into action
The New Zealand Disability Strategy is the Government's way of advancing the participation of disabled people in New Zealand, Ms Dyson said. In the last few years, the New Zealand Sign Language Act 2006 has been passed, enshrining the rights of Deaf New Zealanders to their own language. Fifty-one disabled people are listed with the Nomination Service, but she would like more. Two resources focused on disabled people and local government have been produced. The 2006 post-census Disability Survey took place, after strong advocacy by DPA to keep it happening.
The outdated Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act was repealed, entitling disabled people everywhere to the same employment conditions as non-disabled people.
Big changes in the way Work & Income provides services to people receiving Sickness and Invalids benefits began in September this year. "These changes mark the beginning of better support for people into work and bring a focus on what a person can do, not what they can't," Ms Dyson said. She noted that Anne Hawker, President-elect of Rehabilitation International, is the new Principal Disability Advisor for Work and Income, saying she was certain that under Anne's leadership people will start to see better informed and more responsive services.
Work on the Building Act includes the suggestion of an "accessibility flag" in the project information memorandum produced by local Councils for building consents, as one new way to get better knowledge and commitment to accessible public buildings. Recently the Office for Disability Issues organised workshops for organisations making submissions to the Building Code.
Budget 2007 promised $152.8 million affecting disabled New Zealanders, including funding to stabilise home-based disability support services, residential services for people under 65 and Environmental Support Services. There was also money for Autism Spectrum disorder work, family caregiver support and Intellectual Disability compulsory care and rehabilitation.
Gains to accessible transport included disability awareness training for bus and taxi drivers, improvements in the Total Mobility scheme and a new standard for hoists and ramps in passenger service vehicles.
Upcoming accessibility projects
These include a one-year pilot programme to increase the accessibility around the Hamilton inner city shuttle bus route. Findings will inform further improvements to public transport infrastructure and services. Other projects include ways to assess the accessibility of neighbourhoods and improvements to public transport services and information.
Disability organisations will be involved in updating the current vehicle quality standards, to be finalised by July 2008.
Ms Dyson described 2007 as a year of consolidation, reflection and commitment to continue on our paths towards the vision of the New Zealand Disability Strategy. "Building new partnerships to carry us forward is an important goal we face before us, as we reflect on what worked well with the Convention," she said.
"Government will benefit from the expertise of disabled people, and we need to make sure the connections and relationships are enduring."
Screening for impairments
DPA believes the life of a person with a disability has equal value to, and shall be accorded the same rights, dignity and respect as that of a person without a disability. In supporting the belief that a person has a right to life, DPA also acknowledges and supports the right of a person to make an informed choice without co-ercion.
A decision to implement a full-scale screening programme for Down Syndrome in the absence of any public consultation - a decision that is likely to have been made by the Minister of Health on the advice of Ministry officials - is a disastrous step for disabled people says DPA policy researcher Wendi Wicks.
In 2006 the National Screening Unit (NSU) set up the Antenatal Down Syndrome Screening Advisory Group to advise it on this issue. The group, which comprised largely doctors, ethicists, parents and women's health advocates, made their report to the NSU early in 2007. The NSU gave this report, along with their report, to then Health Minister Pete Hodgson, who asked them to undertake more work about how such a programme would be implemented. This has now been done via a workshop in July, and it is understood the Minister had agreed to a full-scale screening programme although nothing has been announced yet.
"Screening is happening now but on opt-in basis. This recommendation means pregnant women would have to opt out.
"It's a critical step down a hazardous path," she commented. "For the first time, screening is not focused on fixing a condition but on culling a group of people by preventing them from being born.
"We will be monitoring the evaluation stage of this project very closely."
Disabled people have opposed the recommendation that there be a full-scale screening programme, saying that the setup costs should instead be put into more balanced information, and into services that support disabled people and their parents. They are upset that having such a programme will implicitly give a lesser value to disabled lives and are amazed the Minister said there was no need for public consultation before implementing the programme.
Right now Toi te Taiao, the Bioethics Council is holding a nationwide series of discussions (both in person and on-line) about pre-birth testing; who gets to decide and on what basis. Why, asks DPA, does the Minister not wait on that process, and take it into account in deciding on a screening programme? DPA hopes the new Minister of Health is listening more carefully to disabled people's concerns, and thinks very carefully before taking action on this issue.
NEWS
Getting our feet under the table
Getting into policy consultation at an early stage is vital to ensure people with disabilities are not left protesting at policy decisions made without them, according to DPA policy researcher Wendi Wicks. Speaking at the DPA Annual General Meeting last month, she noted that the Human Genome report recently released by Otago University was a classic example of too little input too late. "This two-volume report contains many recommendations about the fate of disabled people who haven't been involved in the developmental stages," she said. "It's hard to make comments about things which radically affect our lives when we're not present.
"We need to get our feet under the table when the thinking starts. Protesting at the end takes too much time and effort."
Bioethics Council consultation
An opportunity for input at an early stage of policy formation is currently being offered by the Toi Te Taiao, the Bioethics Council. As well as holding a series of consultation meetings around the country, the Council is offering an online option to be part of the discussion. There was a feeling at the recent AGM that this Council was making a genuine effort to be inclusive of people with disabilities, with DPA member Eamon Daly being a Council member as well as offering the wider community the opportunity for grassroots input. (See www.bioethics.org.nz for details).
Injury a leading cause of disability for adults
More than 166,000 New Zealanders aged 15 and over have disabilities caused by accident or injury, according to the 2006 post-census disability survey released recently by Statistics New Zealand. "Accident or injury is the second largest cause of disability, behind disease or illness.
Of the more than a half a million adults and children with some sort of disability, the vast majority live at home in ordinary family households. Just five percent (31,100) were adults living in residential facilities.
Forum on employment
DPA recently co-hosted the first of an ongoing series of fora on employment issues for disabled people.
With the repeal of the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion (DPEP) Act taking effect at the end of November, DPA along with People First, Workbridge, IHC Advocacy, Foundation of the Blind and CCS Disability Action co-hosted a forum to discuss issues that will face disabled people in a post-DPEP world.
We were fortunate that Susan Daniels, an American employment and disability expert, was able to open the forum to provide context.
Her critical analyses helped focus the participants to consider issues such as minimum wage exemptions and the role of trade unions.
Notes from the forum are available from the DPA National Secretariat.