BUSY WEEK FOR DISABILITY - TWO STEPS FORWARD FOR INCLUSION
DISABILITY BILL PASSED
The first week of September was a busy week for Disability Issues. Tuesday night 2 September saw a significant step towards an inclusive
This Act amends various acts to remove outdated and discriminatory law about disabled people and makes all our legislation compliant with the Convention. It has taken officials many months to search through all the Acts to find the relevant clauses, and that is why this bill has taken a while to get to Parliament since the signing of the Convention in New York in March 2007. This adds to other recent work that accords with the Convention such as closing the last of the large institutions for disabled people. Legislation has been passed to make NZ Sign Language an official language, to give equal employment rights to disabled people, and to make buildings accessible. Older Acts include the Human Rights Act and the Education Act which removed legal discrimination against disabled people.
Although all parties supported it, some MPs dragged out the passage of the Bill until it was eventually passed at midnight - just as Parliament stopped for the night. I was disappointed at some of the patronising comments from some of the opposition MPs such as the ’I know what disability is like as I had a broken ankle once’, type of comment, to the attitude that we have to help these poor suffering people with their tragic lives, so long as it isn’t going to cost too much. A government backbencher had to remind the House that this bill was about rights, which received a cheer from the crowd watching from the gallery.
It was a long night but worth it. And thanks to all who have worked on this for many years.
SOCIAL SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE REPORT
On Friday 26 September the Report of the Social Services Select Committee Inquiry into the Quality of Care and Service Provision for People with Disabilities was released. www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/SC/Reports/
This Inquiry has been a slow process, but this is probably not surprising as disability is a complex area. Submissions for this Inquiry closed over two years ago. Over 150 people and groups made written submissions and many of them took the chance to speak to the committee, including Autism NZ Inc and the Wellington branch.
Among the recommendations are for the government to appoint and fund a lead agency for responsibility, accountability and role monitoring in the disability sector. This agency will also ensure the NZ Disability Strategy is implemented.
Other recommendations include the establishment of an Independent Disability Commissioner possibly in the Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner, establishment of a new point of entry for people seeking information, and a change in the role of the existing Needs Assessment Service Coordination Agencies so they have more focus on meeting needs of individuals rather than service providers. A workforce strategy to improve training, pay and working conditions for the care and support workforce is another obvious recommendation, and which is already under way in the Ministry of Health.
Education wasn’t in the terms of reference but it gets a mention along with other issues and gaps submitters mentioned. Autism gets a mention too, but hope is expressed that the work on the ASD Guideline implementation will help.
The report is 50 pages long and is worth a read. There is a clear direction towards more flexible people focussed support and the Local Area Coordination system used in Western Australia is presented as a possible model.
Although this committee had cross party representation and support, the implementation of it is of course dependent on the political climate ahead.
Alyson Bradley wrote on September 28th, 2008 at 10:56 am:
DISABILITY BILL PASSED - CONGRATS and well done to all involved, I can only imgaine what a huge tasks this was and a brilliant achievement. I just want to say I feel its definitely a huge step in the the right direction for disability rights, and I hope society in general will start to be more inclusive to everyone and more inclusive of those of us with invisible disabilities…
I know only too well having aspergers and other
intellectual learning difficulties, that the misconceptions of difference can be vast, and others often so wrongly judge far to often the media portray what most want to hear, not always fact. I truly hope now this bill has been passed, that the minority groups will be included more and discriminated against less, and bring NZ into this century.
As a parent who has a child who is differently minded/able it gives me so much hope for the next generation and maybe it will help repair some of the damage already caused from narrow mindedness and ignorance… Alyson Bradley