I am very pleased to present this fifth progress report on implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy.
The Disabled Persons Assembly said in last year’s report that it was “time to raise the bar”.

I believe this report is doing this, and that it will help build on the momentum of activity aimed at creating a non-disabling society.

For the first time the progress report presents the voices and stories of disabled New Zealanders and their families. These give a much richer picture of the situation for disabled New Zealanders in 2005. I urge you also to look at the complete stories on the Office for Disability Issues website. They are a powerful presentation of the issues and opportunities associated with implementing the Disability Strategy.

Also for the first time, this report presents a set of measurable indicators to help focus information on outcomes as well as describing activity and giving a more general sense of trends.

I am particularly interested in the information about government websites. The internet is becoming increasingly important for accessing all sorts of information and services from government. To make best use of these developments and the opportunities to improve participation for disabled people, it is critical that the websites are accessible to all of us. Government agencies have reported activity to improve accessibility of their websites, and the survey outlined in this report shows how well they are doing and what more they need to do.

The report has a few stories mainly about community-based initiatives around the country that make a real difference in the lives of disabled people. This is not a comprehensive look at nationwide activity, but it gives a sense of what can be done, and it should be an inspiration to people in a position to support such initiatives.

Our government will be continuing its real commitment to “making a world of difference”.

I believe this report not only describes significant progress towards our goals but also contributes to increasing understanding about disability in New Zealand.

Hon Ruth Dyson
Minister for Disability Issues