DPA New Zealand

DPA Bites - June/July 2009

Our CEO, Gary Williams, reflects on the new Government

The Government was elected in November 2008 and Gary Williams has been reflecting on its impact on disabled people and disability issues. He says...

We have a new Government with a new approach to our issues.

When new Disability Issues Minister Paula Bennett was appointed, DPA met with her and offered to support her, as we had done with her predecessors. Since that time, DPA has tried on numerous occasions to establish a formal relationship with her, but without success. Although the minister appears keen, she has surrounded herself with advisors who are new to disability issues and therefore uninformed about the positive contribution DPA has made to New Zealand.

Fortunately, Tariana Turia is the Associate Minister and we have worked constructively with her before on issues such as the repeal of the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act and ensuring our country ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Nevertheless, here is a snapshot of some issues that cause me concern -

Bearing these points in mind, I'd like to know what this Government hopes to achieve.

Another committee 'without us' is new Government's response to disability report

The Dec 08/Jan 09 issue of Bites provided a summary of the scathing report of Parliament's Social Services Committee's inquiry into the quality of care and service provision for people with disabilities. That report said the needs of disabled people were frequently neglected, and its 22 recommendations included setting up an independent Disability Commission, which has for some time been a proposal championed by DPA and is a key element of DPA's Our Vision 2009-2012.

In February, the Government announced that its response to this report would be the establishment of a Ministerial Committee on Disability Issues, and more recently revealed that this committee would comprise the Ministers of Finance, Justice, Health, Education and Transport and the Associate Ministers of Education and Disability Issues, with other ministers called in from time to time.

The committee will be chaired by Disability Issues Minister Paula Bennett, who said that "the committee would provide a coherent overall direction for disability issues across government".

"Currently, no group oversees the Government's substantial disability spending channelled through several agencies," she said. "This committee will ensure that disability support works well for disabled people, is distributed fairly, and represents value for money."

However, DPA responded by saying that the committee would not be able to deliver for disabled people unless it listened to them and understood their needs. Ominously, the Government has rejected the proposal for a Disability Commission, calling it a "significant and costly structural change".

"I feel very strongly that it's window dressing," DPA President Wendy Neilson said.

"There is no Minister of Economic Development, who should have been part of that team. Also, as far as I am concerned, we have not been consulted as the advocacy group, and we should have.

"The Government signed up to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which very strongly advocates 'nothing about us without us'.

"To my mind, if they were forming this committee they should have brought on board people with disability who are movers and shakers in the disability sector, to work alongside them."

Neilson said the committee may do valuable work, but at this stage she lacked confidence it would understand the issues disabled people faced. "It's really great that they want to get together and focus on the issues, but they're not saying anything about including people with disability. If you are not a person with a disability you don't understand the lived realities."

Census figures show one in five New Zealanders has some form of disability, a number expected to grow by 60 per cent over the next 40 years as the population ages.

Bennett said decisions on disability services had tended to be based on heath and welfare considerations, without regard to other issues. "It may be more cost-effective to build the needs of disabled people into planning stages, rather than retro-fitting later at considerable cost," she said. "One of the committee's first tasks will be to look at disability services provision with a view to giving disabled people greater choice and control over the supports they receive and the lives they lead."

adapted from Mike Houlahan's story in The Press.

Grant Cleland to head Workbridge

We all congratulate DPA member Grant Cleland on his appointment as Workbridge's CEO.

"Grant has been a long-serving DPA member and we are pleased that Workbridge has recognised that he has the skills for his new role," says DPA President Wendy Neilson.

These skills include project management, training, mentoring, advocacy, group facilitation, research and strategic planning.

"We think this sends a very positive signal about Workbridge's commitment to finding disabled people real jobs, when their CEO is disabled too. We wish Grant well and look forward to working with him."

First hui to focus on support for disabled Maori

DPA's Our Vision 2009-2012 has this to say about disability services: "We should be entitled to receive whatever services or other support or assistance is required to reduce the disabling effects of impairment. Services should be designed so we are able to have a full, meaningful and constructive life of our choosing."

Early last year, DPA, People First and CCS Disability Action were successful in a joint bid to the Ministry of Health to obtain funding for hui which focuses on the management of disability supports for disabled Maori and their whanau.

The aim of the hui are to give Maori with disabilities the opportunity to share the positive things happening in their lives and communities. There will also be opportunities to discuss how things can be improved.

"This is an exciting project for us and quite a mind shift", says DPA CEO Gary Williams.

"Usually, when we get together, we focus on the negative, with not much chance to change things for the better. This time we are focusing on the positives and the things we know that work."

Gary reports that the first hui in Whangarei in March was very successful. All participants shared stories of how they were managing disability supports to produce good outcomes. For example, we heard from a woman whose life had been improved by simply having incompetent support people replaced. This story resonated with other participants who were struggling with mediocre support.

Further hui are planned for Southland and central New Zealand.

May NEC meeting notes

Ken Talbot summarises the Report to the Regional Assemblies from the meeting of the National Executive Committee held in Wellington 9-10 May 2009 ...

Policy discussion

Jan Dowland spoke on the proposed disability service providers 'peak body', which aims to combine the four service provider groups (NRID - National Residential Intellectual Disability providers, VASS - Vocational and Support Services, SLNZ - Supported Living NZ, ASENZ - Association of Supported Employment in NZ) into one umbrella group, enabling providers to have a collective voice to government.

This 'peak body' would have a board and a secretariat. The board would include members who represent special interests.

The NEC was asked to contact our CEO with ideas and concerns regarding this proposed 'peak body'.

Grant Cleland, Creative Solutions - team building

Grant facilitated this session to help the NEC improve its teamwork.

Policy Manual update

The updated Policy Manual will be circulated around the NEC to check it for relevancy.

NEC members who wish to suggest changes can do so at the next NEC meeting.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Award Project update

Workshops are being held for young disabled people about the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as part of the work of the FDR Project, a joint initiative involving DPA, People First and CCS Disability Action. A website is also being developed.

Reports on progress will be sent to the FDR Institute in New York and to the World Disability Council, who funded this Project.

Process to appoint a new CEO

Our CEO, Gary Williams, has advised the NEC that he will be leaving DPA later this year.

A working group comprising the President, Vice-President, Immediate Past President and Lorna Sullivan has been established to create the process to appoint a new CEO.

Disability Support Advisory Committees (DSACs)

There are concerns that the DSACs of district health boards are being merged with community and public health committees, thus weakening the voice of disability.

Regional liaison people are asked to check on the status and focus of work plans for DSACs in their area.

RI General Assembly in Dubai

DPA President, Wendy Neilson, will attend the Rehabilitation International General Assembly in Dubai in November. Gary Williams may attend as well.

Our President, Wendy Neilson, attends Pacific Regional Disability Conference in Vanuatu

Wendy attended the Pacific Regional Disability Conference in Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 20-23 April, hosted by the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF), which is a partnership of Pacific organisations of and for people with disabilities, established in 2002. The PDF promotes and facilitates Pacific regional cooperation on disability-related concerns for the benefit of people with disabilities. The DPA is one of three PDF member organisations from New Zealand. The theme of the conference was 'Advancing disability concerns in the Pacific region'. The three day event included the Pacific Regional Forum on Women with Disabilities and a PDF business meeting.

"We stayed at Le Lagon which is a very up-market hotel and conference venue and I was quite surprised at that, but I found out that international funding had paid for all costs!" says Wendy.

"It was a totally overwhelming experience to be mixing with disabled people from so many island countries in the Pacific. Many of the issues were familiar, and there was a very strong feeling of understood challenges and brotherhood. I did, though, become very aware of how developed we are in New Zealand and Australia in comparison with the Islands. In many parts of the Pacific, education is not compulsory and therefore costly and as a consequence disabled people can be really caught in a poverty trap and definitely the last to receive an education, unless Red Cross takes on that role. Despite the lack of easily available education, all of the people who attended the conference had been to school, with many to a tertiary level.

"It is interesting that the PDF has only one strategic goal for 2008-2011: to eliminate poverty for people with disabilities in the region. We should not be complacent in New Zealand. We are definitely seen as role models for what has been achieved in our country, especially with progressing rights for disabled people."

Bites news extra

Disabled woman dies because of ignorance

An investigation into the death of a woman at Hutt Hospital blames a lack of understanding of her disability support needs by busy staff.

The fatal flaw in hospital services meant that fundamental needs like breathing and eating were ignored despite her having negotiated a plan for whenever she was admitted to the hospital.

"This should never have happened in a developed society like ours", says DPA CEO Gary Williams.

"The tragedy is that she spent most of her professional and private life, as a foundation member of DPA, advocating for the needs of other disabled people."

Hutt Hospital has now changed how it cares for disabled people and is sharing what it has learnt with other hospitals.

Budget news

Here are snippets from the Budget that may be of interest to disabled people:

Queen's Birthday Honours

DPA congratulates Lew Findlay, a member of the DPA Palmerston North & Districts Regional Executive Committee, for being awarded a Queen's Service Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.

2009 National Assembly

The 2009 DPA National Assembly will be held in Wellington, on 10th October. The venue will be the Brentwood Hotel, Kemp Street, Kilbirnie.