Effective implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy will happen only when agencies routinely consider the impact of their work on disabled people.

To implement the Disability Strategy objectives, agencies need to think about disability and disability issues at the outset of all policy work so it is an integral part of the design of any proposals. It requires considering how the policy debate can be lead by disabled people thereby creating increased capacity and capability within government agencies to understand the barriers disabled people face. It also requires the gathering of evidence of the lived experience of disability to better inform policy development and any changes to policies and procedures.

Disability Perspective Toolkit

 In 2005, the Office for Disability Issues developed a guide for policy makers called Including a disability perspective: A toolkit for policy makers. In 2007, 40% of agencies reported having incorporated this into their policy development and quality assurance frameworks, and 50% of government agencies reported that “new policy and service development specifies the impact on disabled people”.

Disability advisory/reference groups

A key development for agencies to ensure they include a disability perspective is in the use of disability advisory or reference groups, made up of disabled people, their family or whanau, and carers. This gives life to a vision of the New Zealand Disability Strategy, ‘Nothing about us, without us!’

Agencies find that advisory and reference groups provide practical and useful advice on policy issues, and several changes have been made as a result of consultation with them.

Other areas where agencies are including a disability perspective include:

• Te Puni Kokiri has developed a programme to implement a cultural needs assessment for kaumatua and kuia within the Tamaki and Makarau region. This will give them training in how to integrate a disability perspective into the cultural advice and support that is offered to clients.

Achievement story

Government gets insight into experience of disability

In 2005, the Disability Advisory Council held its first meeting. The Council was set up to provide advice to the Office for Disability Issues on implementation of the New Zealand Disability Strategy and provide feedback on emerging issues affecting disabled people.

In 2007, the Office reviewed the activity of the Council. As part of this process, other agencies who had consulted the Council were asked for feedback. Agencies reported that their consultation with the Council was helpful. Some feedback comments included:

1. "…very useful and very insightful both from providing a disability perspective and their knowledge of government policy and procedures."
2. "When we came to the Council we were in the initial stages of consultation - we are still now developing our response to that consultation, however the Council's views were both taken into account as a voice in the consultation and helped us to shape our thinking at more of a 'global' level around the main issues. The views are therefore influencing the work."

• SPARC has developed a collaborative framework agreement with the Halberg Trust, Paralympics New Zealand, and Special Olympics which provides input to policy.
• the Ministry of Women’s Affairs commissioned a review of available information on the trends and issues for disabled people, particularly disabled women. The review paper includes key statistics and trends, information about recent and current policy initiatives, and suggestions for further work. This will inform policy development and identify particular barriers for disabled women.
• the Ministry of Justice (Chief Electoral Office), the Electoral Commission and the Electoral Enrolment Centre consulted widely across the disability sector, government and the community as part of planning to improve accessibility for the 2008 General Election. This resulted in an accessibility plan for the 2008 General Election to be implemented during 2007/2008.
• The Ministry of Health has:
  • supported Ngāti Kāpo o Aotearoa with a grant to develop a strategic plan. Health also provided a grant in 2004/2005 for Ngāti Kāpo to develop a website which was launched in April 2007.
  • enrolled its Consumer Consortium into a number of project groups looking at service development, including Home Based Support Services service specifications, the Antenatal Down Syndrome Advisory Group, and the National Screening Advisory Committee.

Achievement story

Learning about including a disability perspective

The Ministry of Education has been fostering a disability perspective through several methods including a ministry-wide seminar entitled “Nothing about us without us”, and by organising a series of three conferences addressing the issue of inclusive learning environments:

• the first event, in July 2006, focused on "Rethinking learning environments"
• the second event, in June 2007 was "21st century learning environments for all learners"
• the third event is planned for March 2008 and the theme is "Inclusion and integration through innovation".