The structure of the report

This report has five chapters consistent with action areas or themes within the New Zealand Disability Strategy. These themes are shown in the diagram below.

Each of the 15 Strategy objectives is presented in the report with:

• measurable indicators
• latest trends and data
• a description of activity over the 2004–2005 year
• gaps and opportunities for further work.

This information is complemented by excerpts from stories of disabled people and families and case studies of good practice.

Improving things for disabled people

In 10 years from now I would like to be part of a society that is empathetic but not sympathetic and inclusive but not patronising to disabled people. I would like to see disabled people participating fully in society in their own way and people accepting that there are many ways to contribute, many ways to live life.
Kent, Life is for Living, to be published at www.odi.govt.nz

The Disability Strategy was launched in 2001 following extensive consultation, and continues to be embraced by government and the disability sector. The Strategy has a clear set of ideas and agreements about what an inclusive society for disabled people and their families would look like and what actions will help make this happen.

Government agencies are required to develop annual disability strategy implementation plans. Thirty-six departments and five Crown entities developed plans for the 2005–2006 year and these are published on the Office for Disability Issues website. Forty-one agencies also reported on their activities for the 2004–2005 year to contribute to this annual report to parliament required under the New Zealand Public Health and Disability Act 2000.

Writing reports about how things are going with the Strategy is more than a compliance exercise. The reports record and build our knowledge and understanding of disability issues and of the strategies to address these issues. This fifth annual report shines a spotlight on disability in New Zealand and promotes activity to implement the Disability Strategy.

Illuminating disability issues and progress on addressing them

The relative importance of different kinds of information and knowledge has been hotly debated. However, there is consensus that the best results are found using a mixture of information types and sources. This report uses subjective and objective information and quantitative and qualitative research to provide measurable, as well as more descriptive and anecdotal, indicators of progress. The result is a snapshot or overview of what we know about the issues, activities and outcomes facing disabled New Zealanders and their families during 2004–2005 and any trends of change.

Using real life stories

Make our realities heard in our voices.
Life is for Living, to be published at www.odi.govt.nz

For the first time the “voices” and “faces” of disabled people and their families are woven throughout the report. True-life stories bring a human dimension to the official statistics and remind us of the significance of work done to address disability issues. These stories along with other information sources build on previous reports to give us a clearer picture of the situation of disabled people.

Many of the voices and faces in this report are excerpts from stories to be published by the Office for Disability Issues. They are based on a series of interviews, undertaken mainly in July 2005, and will be available at www.odi.govt.nz.

Using measurable indicators

…I’ve seen some changes for the better in the last two to three years in access issues.

Three years ago I couldn’t catch buses from my place to town because they all had stairs. Now all buses that go from my place to town have ramps. I think a lot of places are becoming more accessible for disabled people. People are looking for ways to get people with disabilities out into the community, to shops or movies or whatever.

We have a piece of documentation now [the Disability Strategy] that says “this is what we want” and it has encouraged owners of places to be more aware of the needs of people with disabilities.

It would be really cool if people had more “big picture” awareness of our needs – not just an awareness of a need to provide ramps.

Red, Life is for Living, to be published at www.odi.govt.nz

The Disability Strategy employs a pan-disability and cross-government approach to disability issues, which inherently involves generalised and high level objectives. However, to measure progress towards outcomes it is useful to focus on how some more specific things would look if we achieved or were moving towards the objectives of the Strategy. To do this the report presents indicators under each objective. The full set of 21 indicators is outlined at the end of the document. While most indicators relate to long-term outcomes some are shorter-term milestones or conditions that contribute to the achievement of longer-term outcomes.

To be precise and measurable the indicators are less comprehensive than the Strategy objectives. They “indicate” progress rather than prove it; we need to draw on other information for the full picture. Moreover, choosing indicators is limited by what information is or can be made available. There will be opportunities to refine and add to the indicators in the future.

The indicators and related data in this report tend to show the situation at a particular point in time. They provide a baseline from which to measure future change. For example, many of the indicators draw on the post-census 2001 Disability Survey, which describes the situation at the time the Strategy was launched. We will have better trend data after the 2006 census.

What has been happening to create a non-disabling society – a summary

The report includes examples of good practice by government, local authorities and non-government agencies. The picture is not complete but covers the range of activities under way to address disability issues.

The structure of the report does not reflect a hierarchy of priority, nor are the themes mutually exclusive. Progress towards the vision of the Disability Strategy requires simultaneous progress; work towards one objective may contribute to several or all themes. Collectively the objectives of the Disability Strategy aim to:

1. uphold citizenship, by fostering society’s ability to include disabled people. Chapter one highlights include the Like Minds project and its evaluations, negotiations on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, initial work to improve advocacy services, development of a nominations service for the appointment of disabled people to Crown boards and committees, the establishment of a national disability advisory council and local authority disability reference groups, and improved access to voting. To build on the momentum created, there should be more opportunities for co-ordination and idea sharing. In particular, we need to learn more about what mix of activities will work best to ensure individuals and systems in society do not exclude disabled people. It is clear this will include initiatives that raise the visibility and promote the leadership of disabled people.
2. build government capacity, by ensuring agencies have the necessary knowledge, skills and systems to address disability issues and to be responsive to disabled people. Chapter two provides information for the first time on how accessible government websites are and how to improve them. A highlight here is the increase in the collection and use of disability information by government.
3. improve disability support services, ensuring disabled people are able to make ordinary choices and have ordinary responsibilities in their lives. Chapter three summarises some of the ongoing issues around providing support services, and current interagency policy development under way to address these issues.
4. promote participation by disabled people in all areas of life, by identifying and maximising opportunities in all sectors of the community. Chapter four shows evidence of work being done to improve access to, and choice in, education, employment, housing, the built environment, transport, communication, health services, sports and recreation, arts and culture and relationships. However, there is also plenty of room for improvement. Most of the information about the outcomes for disabled people in this chapter is based on 2001 data. We will not have a good picture of what has changed until the next post-census Disability Survey in 2006.
5. address diversity of need, by acknowledging that in addition to common issues, there is huge diversity amongst disabled people. Chapter five outlines activity and issues specifically related to disabled Māori, Pacific people, children and young people and disabled people’s families. Chapter five also updates progress made towards better addressing the needs of New Zealanders with an intellectual disability, in response to the National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability report To have an Ordinary Life. Since 2001 when the Disability Strategy was released, there have been other government directives and reports on disability issues. To streamline planning and reporting activity, co-ordinate work across government and ensure progress on disability issues, it is useful to integrate the planning and reporting arrangements.