5. Conclusions — Ngā whakamutunga
Disability is an issue for most New Zealanders. Many of us are disabled, or we
have a family member or friend who is disabled, or we work with a disabled person,
care for a disabled person, know a disabled person, or we may become a disabled
person. Yet disabled people struggle to achieve equal rights with other New Zealanders,
and continue to experience significant barriers to full participation in society.
In spite of the significant progress in developing high-level strategy and the
increasingly effective voice of the disabled communities, in their daily lives
disabled people remain among the most disadvantaged citizens. Societal knowledge
of the status of people with disabilities is clouded by lack of understanding
of these issues. This impacts on policy design and delivery and on everyday practices
in schools, homes, workplaces and public places.
A key barrier to disabled New Zealanders is their invisibility in society. There
was a very strong call from consultation participants for more public education – similar
to the Like Minds, Like Mine campaign – to remove the stigma attached to
disability and the prejudice and discrimination experienced by disabled people.
The Disability Sector Advisory Group for this report notes:
What is of fundamental and overriding concern, however, is that disabled people
struggle to be included in the right to citizenship without exceptions … Legal
and other human rights protections that do exist for disabled people need to
be fully operationalised, to be made a reality in people’s lives and the
gaps in protection need to be clearly identified and closed (NZAPHR Consultations,
2004).
Where New Zealand does well — Ngā mahi pai e oti nei i Aotearoa
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- A clear recognition that the international human rights framework and New Zealand
law (including the HRA and the BoRA) applies broadly to all people, including
disabled people.
- Growing social awareness of disability as an issue of human rights, which is
increasingly affecting law and policy.
- A general movement away from institutionalisation and towards increased involvement
of disabled people in decision-making.
- Strong support for the development of the New Zealand Disability Strategy.
- The existence of a dedicated ministerial portfolio (Minister
for Disability Issues)
and the Office for Disability Issues.
- Good progress within the education sector, particularly at the tertiary level,
in increasing the participation of disabled people by the use of Government funding
incentives.
- Some progress in employers’ awareness and support of disabled workers.
Where we need to do better — Kia piki ake te pai i roto i enei wahanga
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- There is, as yet, no International Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.
- Disability is largely invisible at societal and national levels, partly as a
result of the status of disability in existing human rights frameworks.
- Incorporation of disability issues and perspectives, beyond their reference in
strategic goals, into the way the wider public sector works in its day-to-day
operations is fragmented.
- Data for disability are inadequate, which means that the visibility, status and
progress of disabled people cannot easily or accurately be assessed or compared
with that of non-disabled people.
- The commitment to, implementation, resourcing and evaluation of the Disability
Strategy needs to be strengthened to ensure its success.
- The attitudes of many employers and employees to the employment of disabled people
have been identified as a major barrier to accessing and retaining work and gaining
promotion.
- There is a lack of broad oversight of quality of care and treatment of disabled
people living or detained in institutionalised settings.
- There is a perceived inequity in the existing system of resourcing across disability
types in the education sector.
- Disabled people lack authentic involvement in decision-making and policy development
in relation to health and disability, education, access to services and information,
and physical access to services and information, and to many places, including
buildings and transport.
