It's been a big year for the disability sector. For the first time we have a Minister for Disability Issues, we have set up a Disability Issues Directorate in the Ministry of Health, and we are working hard to complete the New Zealand Disability Strategy. There is still a long way to go before people with disabilities have the same opportunities as all New Zealanders. But when the strategy is launched in April next year, we will have a vision of a non-disabling society and a map to show us the way.

Interest in the strategy has exceeded our expectations. I want to thank all the people around the country - people with disabilities, families, whänau and caregivers, advocates, health and disability professionals - who attended workshops and meetings, ran discussion groups and made submissions on the discussion document, Making a World of Difference: Whakanui Oranga. Your enthusiasm and support are crucial to the success of the strategy. You give me great confidence that we really can make a difference.

My special thanks go to the members of the disability sector reference group who have worked alongside the Ministry of Health team developing the strategy. You are the people with day-to-day experience of disability and disability issues. Your knowledge and expertise have ensured that the strategy is comprehensive, relevant and practical. Although your official involvement has now come to an end, I know we will continue to work together closely.

Once again, thank you for your contribution this year. I wish you and your families a very happy Christmas and an excellent New Year. I hope you have a well-earned break and come back refreshed to face the challenges of 2001.

Lianne Dalziel
Minister for Disability Issues

Strategy interest overwhelming

Interest in the New Zealand Disability Strategy has been overwhelming. Seven hundred submissions were received - more than for the New Zealand Health Strategy. Analysis of the submissions has shown:

• 1200 people participated in public workshops, hui, fono, and focus groups.
• Of the 700 submissions, 335 were from individuals, 297 from organisations, and 68 from consultation meetings.
• More than half (181) of the 335 personal submissions were from people with disabilities.
• Submissions were received in a variety of formats including the discussion booklet questionnaire (322), other written submissions (186), website (57), e-mail (57), information pack (11), video tape (5), and audio tape (1). Some were sent in multiple forms.

The submissions have highlighted the importance of hearing about people's experiences of disability.

The quality of submissions has been excellent, and many useful improvements to the discussion document have been suggested.

It looks like there will be a number of new additions to the actions and key steps in the discussion document, and more detail in a number of areas. For example, a new action area has been created around lifestyle, recreation and culture, in recognition of the need to look at the whole of people's lives.

The consultation process has also helped strengthen the Mäori and Pacific action areas, and has given a stronger sense of the contribution and needs of family and whanau.

The Ministers for Disability Issues and Health will receive a draft of the strategy before Christmas. The strategy and its implementation proposal will go to Cabinet for final approval in March. The Government plans to launch the strategy in April and begin implementing its goals immediately.

Good response to review of vocational services

There has been a great response to the vocational services review, given the number of other consultation exercises going on at the same time. Analysis of about 100 submissions by the Department of Labour has highlighted the following:

• People who use vocational services want choice and flexibility.
• Services must be client-focused, individually tailored and able to respond to changing need.
• Paid work is the key outcome for some people who use vocational services, but not the only outcome.
• The Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act should be repealed.
• The transition of young people with high support needs from school to age-appropriate adult options must be coordinated.
• Continued access to vocational services for the 65+ age group is very important.
• Services for Mäori and Pacific people must involve partnership, meaningful dialogue and increased capacity of Mäori and Pacific providers.
• The role of Government should be to create (job) opportunities; define core standards; monitor and evaluate performance measures; identify and fill gaps in services; and assist with initiatives, workforce development and research.
• The role of people who use services is to define their own outcomes and services; take advantage of opportunities; and be involved in monitoring services and providing feedback to providers and funders.
• The role of families/whänau/caregivers is to be involved as far as it is appropriate (including no involvement); support their family member achieve their aspirations; give feedback to providers; and help to create opportunities for their family member.
• Views are mixed as to whether needs ought to be prioritised.
• Funding issues identified include: the value of individualised funding; the need for vocational services to be adequately resourced (full funding); better co-ordination of funding at transition points between school/work and different services; people who use services should not be expected to contribute towards their cost.
• Overall, submissions agreed with the definitions of outcomes and service expectations currently used by the Department of Work and Income.

The working group is also preparing background material, with input from the sector advisory group. This material includes a history of vocational services in New Zealand; a stocktake (or overview) of vocational services funded by a variety of government agencies; an environmental scan; information about people who might use vocational services; and the analysis of submissions.

The release of a draft report for public comment, which was due in December, has been delayed until late January/early February. The final report will still go to Minister of Social Services and Employment Steve Maharey in March.

For more information, please contact project manager Kate Lynch, phone (04) 915 4005.

Fire safety in community housing

The Government is setting up a working party to develop a policy on fire safety for people with disabilities.

A policy is needed because the Building Industry Authority has decided to revise its fire safety standards. The BIA wants to include a new category of Residential Community Care, covering residential accommodation for people with disabilities. All accommodation in this category will face a higher fire safety rating than ordinary houses, requiring automatic fire sprinkler systems - unless otherwise proved.

Providers of accommodation for people with disabilities oppose the new category. They say most people with disabilities do not need this level of protection, it is contrary to the Human Rights Act and the draft New Zealand Disability Strategy, and the extra costs may affect the viability of service providers.

The Ministry of Health has developed a draft policy statement about fire safety for residential community care, with input from the Department of Internal Affairs. A working party will be convened in the new year to develop protocols and procedures. The policy is expected to be in place by July 2001.

Special Education decision delayed

A decision on the future of Specialist Education Services (SES) and Cathy Wylie's recommendation to set up a national network of support and resource centres will now be made in February 2001.

Minister gives personal support to call for Disability Convention

Minister for Disability Issues Lianne Dalziel has given her personal support in principle to the call for an international convention on the rights of people with disabilities.

In a press release on International Day of Disabled Persons on 3 December, Lianne Dalziel said: "New Zealand has made considerable progress promoting equality for people with disabilities. The 1993 Human Rights Act, which outlawed disability as a ground for discrimination, was a particular milestone for the New Zealand disability community.

"However, we still have a long way to go, both nationally and internationally. There are more than 600 million people with disabilities around the world and many of them continue to be excluded from the mainstream of society.

"For this reason, I support the growing international call for a United Nations convention which would legally bind countries to protect the rights of people with disabilities."

Lianne Dalziel will be raising this issue for consideration in the New Year.

"Naturally, I cannot bind my colleagues to any position. However, it is my role as an advocacy Minister to be drawing such issues to their attention," she said.

Working party says Kimberley should close

The Kimberley working party has recommended the closure of the psychopaedic hospital. Its recommendation to the Health Funding Authority says:

"The Working Party recommends deinstitutionalisation [of Kimberley]. We have made this recommendation, assuming specialist services will be in place to support all community living options such as cluster housing, community residential and supported living.

"All living options will be available if viable to the residents, based on their needs assessment. We believe each of these options would achieve significant benefits in the lives of residents and the majority of people will be able to be successfully relocated to community living options in New Zealand.

"Whilst the Working Party recognises partial deinstitutionalisation could provide some of the benefits as for deinstitutionalisation, it is not felt as many of these benefits will be achieved on the Kimberley Centre site.

"However we believe that consideration of the future use of the Kimberley site cannot be excluded. We also recognise some people will choose to access future services in Horowhenua and therefore recommend consideration be given to developing some residential and specialist services on or near Horowhenua Hospital.

"Specialist services are for people requiring support beyond what can be delivered by mainstream providers. Specialist support requires a level of expertise and multi skilling within the staffing to meet the client's particular needs. These services will be available on a needs basis to any person with intellectual disability; through an individual care manager or coordinator. They will include, but not be limited to, a range of services such as: residential, psychiatric, vocational, behavioural management, aged care, medical care and crisis response."

The working party is made up of representatives from the Kimberley Parents and Friends Association, Mäori, community providers, MidCentral Health, Kimberley Centre advocacy services, specialist services and the Health Funding Authority.

The Ministry of Health will write a report for Minister of Health Annette King. It will include needs assessment information about Kimberley's residents, analysis of the 14 consultation meetings and 152 written submissions on the future of Kimberley, and the working party's recommendation. The Minister is expected to make a final decision about Kimberley in the new year.

Fight "attitudeosis" with attitude

Minister for Disability Issues Lianne Dalziel recently met with Bronwyn Hayward, a PhD student in the field of disability studies. They discussed "attitudeosis", a concept developed by Bronwyn after numerous reactions to her physical impairment. An excerpt from an article by Bronwyn on attitudeosis follows, for readers' interest. Please e-mail Bronwyn for copies of the full article at bhayward@paradise.net.nz.

"Don't you just love parties? Especially those where the only person you know is the host. There you are, surrounded by people you don't know and forced by social courtesies to make polite chit-chat. You know the conversations: 'what's your name?', 'isn't the weather dreadful', pause, and then 'so what do you do?'

It's a scenario I've seen again and again, but I say 'seen' because frequently, at such occasions, I get the 'what is your name' and 'wonderful weather' dialogue, and then, 'so what's wrong with you?'

All sorts of answers come to mind, such as, 'I'm too tall to be at eye level with my nephew', or 'they never told me smoking stunts your growth'. Such questioning is not restricted to parties. Everyone asks, sooner or later, 'what's wrong with you?' So I'll tell you. I am disabled. My disability is other people's reactions to my impairment.

There's not been a lot of research into this disabling condition, so I'll tell you a little more about it.

Its full medical cause and label is: Attitudeosis

osis = denoting, state, condition, etc.
attitude = condition, state etc that is a direct result of problems in perception, and an inability to logically control thoughts, speech and actions.

Or, to translate this into plain English, people with attitudeosis disable other people who they perceive as different. This problem usually manifests itself through their inability to logically control the things they think, say and do which in turn is disabling to people with impairments."

Bronwyn goes on to describe "attitudeosis" and what is needed to counteract it. She ends the article by saying: "When I'm faced with attitudeosis, I tend to fight it with attitude."