“Bugger me,” said Tom during his keynote speech at the conference, describing his reaction to seeing The Orator, “It’s about a little person.”   By the end of the film, having fought for his human rights the orator stands spear in hand as a leader.

December 3 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.  This year the United Nations has decided on a theme of “disability and development”.  NZ’s main international development target area is the Pacific, so the film provides a timely  opportunity for learning across cultures on human rights and disability.

My personal experience is that when open to the understandings of disability in Māori and Pacific communities, I have learnt more from them, and benefited more, than I have been able to offer or teach.  There is much to learn in disability in the cultures where, in the balance of considerations, family, whanau, and aiga connectedness play a greater part than individualism

I hope it can start conversations in NZ’s Pacific communites about realising the rights of disabled people within those communites, and amongst disability communites about understandings of disability in Pacific cultures.  Ultimately this will help our role in supporting the development of disabled people in Pacific nations.

Tom, reflecting on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the commonality within our global village, himself an orator whose ancestors were playwriters and shakers of spears, loved The Orator and now takes Pacific understandings of disability rights back to his homeland.

Justice’s story began four years ago when Tauranga woman Laura Eitjes' holiday was cut short after being told her guide dog could not stay in her room.  Laura, who has been legally blind since a teenager, had informed the owner about her guide dog when booking but found Rua’s bed had been removed from the room on her second day.  In spite of explaining her rights the matter wasn’t settled and they had to go and stay elsewhere.  This was a breach of the Human Rights Act and the matter was later settled when Laura received $8000 compensation from the accommodation owner.  She gave $5000 of it to the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind’s Guide Dog Services to help train a pup.  Laura said the outcome showed justice had been served and the pup was duly called Justice.  The latest training update says he is a willing and responsive boy with a subtle level of self-interest that if developed appropriately could be of use as a working dog.    Justice loves his guiding equipment and readily puts his head through the harness, eager to head off on a walk.  He has excellent route memory and positive indication to directions.  The celeb K9 also has excellent home and social behaviour – although often uses his good looks to try to sneak upstairs when looking for company.  He loves his toys and is great with children.  Justice is in the early stages of training and those working with him hope he will continue to progress well as the responsibility and expectation of work increases throughout the training programme.

Ms Walker says a Pacific woman who recently had an appointment at a medical centre was repeatedly pushed back in the queue by other people who had no appointments. Following a complaint the medical centre apologised.  Another example of discrimination that came to the Commission was a factory worker with a mental illness who was fired for not disclosing it.  Ms Walker says anyone applying for a job does NOT have to say if they have a disability, and the employee didn’t feel it was necessary as their illness was well controlled.  About six months into the job they had an episode and needed to be hospitalised.  The boss tried to fire her for not saying at the job interview she had a mental illness.  During mediation the complainant explained that she coped and it didn’t affect her work performance.  As a result the employer apologised, gave compensation and they discussed how to manage her mental illness in the factory where the person was re-employed.  However, Ms Walker says the worker left that job a few months later due to the incident, but says it was a pleasing outcome as the employee left the factory on her own grounds.  \

Another case was a wheelchair user who went to an agency for work but couldn’t reach the counter to fill out forms.  The Commission discussed this with the agency and a national re-fit of all the company’s reception areas included making sure wheelchair users could access the counters.  Ms Walker says it was pleasing to see such a profound and systemic change.  Of all the complaints the Commission received surrounding discrimination during the last year, 63 per cent  were resolved and 25 per cent were discontinued.

The Trust says disabled athletes have always been able to gain selection in the other categories with paraplegic archer Neroli Fairhall back in 1983, disabled alpine skier Rachael Battersby (2002) and disabled swimmer Sophie Pascoe (2008 and 2009) making ‘Sportswoman’ category finalists, but the Trust decided it was time for the growing number of this country’s disabled athletes to have their own category.  Its Chief Executive Steve Hall says an annual review undertaken this year identified significant support for an award for disabled athletes from key stakeholders including National Sports Organisations, Westpac Halberg Award winners and finalists, along with the media.  He says the trust hopes this will ultimately enable it to help more disabled young people participate in sport.  Classified disabled athletes and teams only are eligible for the ‘Disabled Sportsperson of the Year’ Award.  Classification is an assessment process which groups athletes whose disability causes similar activity limitations in a particular sport in order to allow for meaningful competition. All Halberg award finalists will be announced at the beginning of January 2012.

He currently works at the World Health Organization, where he was one of the editors of the World Report on Disability. He is also working at the University of Sydney.  Dr Shakespeare has been involved with the disability movement for nearly 25 years, and has presented to academic, activist and professional audiences all over the world.  Dr Shakespeare says his speech at the conference is titled ‘How Disability Research can Change our World’.  He believes the current view of disability needs to be challenged as it currently focuses solely on medical intervention of rehabilitation but it should also include social, political, cultural and economic factors.

Dr Shakespeare says disabled students should be encouraged and having leadership positions held by disabled people needs to be a priority.  He says the obvious aim of this is to improve the lives of disabled people, not just creating careers for disabled academics.  He says proper research needs to be conducted and not just based on theory and it needs to be wherever possible in partnership with disabled people and their organisations. Also it’s important to take into account differences between disabled people.  (And yes –Dr Shakespeare is a direct descendent of William Shakespeare the English poet and playwright who died in 1616.)

Keynote speakers included Anne Hawker who the president of Rehabilitation International and the former national president of the Assembly of People with Disabilities.  Professor Patricia O’Brien is the chair in Disability Studies and Director of the Centre for Disability studies at the University of Sydney is also presenting.  Dr Tom Shakespeare from the World Health Organisation in Geneva, a member of the World Ethics Review Committee, also attended.

Organisers say the conference’s aim was to provide a forum for people from diverse backgrounds to share their knowledge and research.  It’s also hosted a trade exhibition showcasing new technology.  Donna-Rose McKay, Otago University’s Head of Service for Disability Information and Support, said people came from England, Australia, Korea, Indonesia and the United States. Mrs McKay said one topic to be covered is how the current focus on disabilities is medical rehabilitation, it is about the community being ready to include these people in every-day life.  ‘One of the biggest challenges is that most disability funding is about health – but there is a desperate need for more research into disability in society.  The key thing is collaboration.’  She says the overwhelming response for registration shows there is a need for this to be talked about and people attending the conference came from a wide range of disability-related areas – lawyers, policy makers, clinicians, school teachers, academics, community groups and service providers.

The expected outcomes were:

• The development of a disability studies community/interest group in New Zealand.
• To establish and consolidate linkages between university & the disability community.
• The formation of research alliances among local, national & international researchers, and the identification of new research initiatives.

He is on the Health and Disability Commission’s Consumer Advisory panel and on a similar panel for the Accident Compensation Corporation.  He chairs Faiva Ora which is aligned to the Ministry of Health and focuses on a Pacific disability action plan.  Mr Umaga also started the Wellington Pasifika Disability Network which he describes as a group of ‘wheelies’.  He says Pacific people don’t really speak up about disability issues in the community.  ‘Disability is more of a human rights based issue as opposed to the current clinical perspective which sees us as just sick. I want disability to not be pushed aside – I know Pacific people with disabilities who don’t get the chance to get out and their families just keep them in their homes.  I am trying to change that.’

The Orator has been made by a New Zealand company, and is shot in Samoa.  The Commission’s principal race relations adviser Sam Sefuiva says, 'One challenge the film shows is the main character's right to his family’s name and to be respected and heard.  He struggles to speak up for himself and be listened to by his peers.’  Mr Sefuiva says it has local actors, and has won a place in the Vienna film festival.  It has also been nominated as the New Zealand entry for the foreign film segment at the Oscars.  ‘The movie shows that disabled people are not just European, they are brown as well.’  He says there is a wide cultural diversity of disabled people and they all deserve to be respected.  ‘Like little people, brown people who are disabled are often ostracised and discriminated against in New Zealand.  They don’t speak up about it.’  Mr Sefuiva says having English as a second language often makes it harder.

‘So they stay at home and struggle with every-day life as well as their disability.’

Which is why on the International day there will be a focus on Pacific people who are achievers.  ‘We are going to highlight and celebrate Pacific people operating in a mainstream environment who contribute with their talents.’

Meanwhile a spokesman for Te Papa says The Orator's dialogue is Samoan  and is subtitled. For information on this event or to see if there are any spaces available please email Naomi Taylor at the Commission naomit@hrc.co.nz.  Filipo Katavake-McGrath says leading up to 3 December actors from the movie have been coming into the museum, reading out parts of the script and talking to the public about the movie and disability in the Pacific islands.  ‘We have had sessions with our Pacifica curators about it and the aim is to create respect for disabled people living in communities – especially Pacific people.  We value physical strength in Pacific culture and this movie challenges that view.’

The day provides opportunities for all stakeholders to participate – from Governments, the UN, society and organisations of people with disabilities – to focus on the inclusion of disabled people in all aspects of society. The UN says too often people with disabilities remain largely marginalised, disproportionately poorer, are frequently unemployed and have higher rates of mortality.  Also disabled people are often excluded from civil and political processes and are overwhelmingly voiceless in matters that affect them.  The UN says evidence shows that when disabled people are empowered to participate and lead the process of development, their entire community benefits, as their involvement creates opportunities for everyone – with or without a disability.  Mainstreaming disability in development is a strategy for achieving equality for persons with disabilities is one suggestion by the UN.