It is satisfying to note that government agencies have made the New Zealand Disability Strategy a regular part of their annual planning and reporting cycle. And it’s encouraging to see the growing number of crown entities and territorial authorities willingly taking part in Strategy implementation, even though they are not required to.

But there is still much to be done. All territorial authorities and district health boards should follow the example of their colleagues who have joined with government departments in making the Strategy a guiding force in addressing disability issues. After all, it is these bodies that have an immediate impact on the quality of our lives – and in many instances, our very existence.

Information, the key to power and control, still remains inaccessible in many cases. A recent survey of government websites revealed many inadequacies and gaps in the usability of websites by disabled people. And if the state of government websites is patchy, the websites operated by non-government disability organisations are in even more parlous condition.

And at a societal level, not enough has been done to give effect to the Strategy’s most critical objective: to educate for a non-disabling society. We still desperately need a well-resourced, well-planned public campaign directed at removing the stigma and discriminatory attitudes associated with disability.

An impressive addition to this year’s progress report has been the inclusion of our stories. They are powerful illustrations of the ways in which our lives can either be valued and enhanced, or devalued and excluded.

They also pose a crucial question: how can we know if, and when, the Strategy’s objectives are making a difference? When will we see the improvements in educational achievement; the rights of employment and decent income taken as read; access to transport, health and personalised services realised; exercising recreational, cultural and lifestyle choice become a matter of course? This report presents indicators of progress in all these areas, which is a useful addition. However, these need to be translated into milestones for departments to aim at.

We expect that the Strategy will be reviewed soon. Without wishing to anticipate too much about the future, at the very least we will expect our voices to lead, guide and inform that process.

Mike Gourley
President DPA New Zealand