Department of Internal Affairs
New Zealand Disability Strategy Implementation Work Plan. 1 July 2006 – 30 June 2007
Introduction
The Department of Internal Affairs
The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) – Te Tari Taiwhenua, is New Zealand ’s oldest Public Service Department, tracing its origins back to the first Colonial Secretary’s Office established in 1840. The Department is a large multi-purpose organisation, with both policy and operational functions.
Our purpose (from the DIA Statement of Intent)
The Department of Internal Affairs serves and connects citizens, communities and government to build a strong safe nation.
DIA activities
DIA activities include: the issue of passports; administering civil unions; registering births, deaths, marriages and civil unions; administering citizenship applications; regulating gambling; enforcing censorship law; interfacing between local government and central government; contributing to community development by administering Lottery Grants, Community Grants Schemes and Trusts; and providing support services and policy advice for Ministers of the Crown. The Department also includes the Office of Ethnic Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
Link to Disability Strategy
The DIA Statement of Intent provides the high level description of the Department’s directions for 2006-2009. The Statement of Intent (pages 19 and 48) advises that DIA will be implementing programmes that encourage communities to communicate and recognize the value of diversity. Through these programmes DIA will contribute to various Government strategies, which seek to ensure the needs of diverse groups are recognised, including the New Zealand Disability Strategy.
Flowing out of this is the business planning and reporting framework that includes specific strategies and action plans. The Disability Strategy, along with our EEO strategy forms part of this framework.
Level 1 Activities: Universal responsiveness to disability issues
| Accessible government information |
| During 2006/07 the Department will continue to ensure appropriate DIA electronic communications and documents are available in accessible formats for disabled people. This includes the standards contained in the SSC government website guidelines on accessibility, the DIA Disability Guidelines for Communication and the DIA Disability audit tool. |
| |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Agency’s websites: Refer annex A |
| |
Meet e-government Web-Guidelines 2.1 |
Substantially achieved. Department has a number of websites and as they are reviewed will ensure they are adapted to further comply with Web Guidelines. E-govt checklist submitted for exemption of non-compliant areas. |
Revision of Office of Ethnic Affairs website currently underway and DIA and Civil Defence websites are planned within next 18 months. DIA is moving from Lotus Notes to .net platform and this move will make meeting Web Guidelines html compliance requirements simpler. |
| Tested for accessibility for disabled people |
As websites are reviewed the department will ensure they are adapted to increase accessibility to disabled people. Access audits were completed this year for www.dia.govt.nz, www.localcouncils.govt.nz; and www.community.net. |
Further user testing is planned for all websites. |
| Adapted to increase accessibility to disabled people |
Increased efforts to publish html versions of key documents is ongoing. |
Revision of the Office of Ethnic Affairs website is currently underway and DIA and MCDEM websites are planned within the next 18 months. Moving from Lotus notes to .net platform making accessible html compliance easier to meet. |
| Downloadable files available in HTML, not only PDF |
No – but alternative formats available (eg some word documents as well as free hard copy on request with contact details provided). Improved processes to publish html versions of key documents established. |
Planned revision of DIA website will address this issue, with move from Lotus Notes to .net platform making accessible html compliance requirements easier to meet. |
| Agency makes available alternative forms of contact: New Zealanders interact with the Department in a number of ways, by mail, by phone, in person and increasingly through the Internet. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Accessible government buildings and sites |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| All agency’s buildings and sites meet statutory and regulatory access requirements. |
All sites subject to refurbishment from 2005 will comply with statutory and regulatory access requirements. |
During 2006/07 the department will continue to ensure that all offices and services are accessible to disabled people with existing and new premises. This includes disabled access provisions being included in all fit-out and refurbishment project specifications. Undertaking internal and external audits, and upgrades, depending on availability of resources. |
| Agency’s buildings and sites have Building Code compliance certification. |
Building code compliance will exist and will comply with standards applicable when application was lodged. |
| Agency’s buildings and sites audited for accessibility by Barrier Free NZ Trust. |
No |
| Agency’s buildings and sites accessible. |
| |
Frontline staff receive training in disability responsiveness |
No |
| Reception areas accessible |
Some |
| Counters lowered for wheelchair users |
Some |
| Telephone staff familiar with using NZ Relay service1 |
No |
| Accessibility audits and subsequent upgrades are scheduled. Dependent on availability of budget funding. |
No |
| Accessible government services |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Service policies and procedures include reference to disability issues |
No |
Refer level 2 planned response |
| Information / data on services provided to disabled people is recorded |
Some |
| Service staff receive disability responsiveness training |
No |
| When contracting for new or up-graded IT applications and environments, contracts include a requirement to ensure accessibility by disabled users |
No |
| Responsive government employment practices |
| During 2006/07 the Department will continue to seek places for people from the mainstream program, continue to provide support for a Disabilities EEO network and work with the SSC and other agencies to collect better data on disabled staff to help identify issues and potential interventions. |
| |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Human Resource policies and procedures include EEO issues for disabled people |
Yes |
Yes |
| Recruitment and selection of vacancies responsive to disabled people |
Yes |
Yes |
| Human Resource staff familiar with EEO issues for disabled people |
Yes |
Yes |
| Accommodations provided for disabled staff to meet a unique need |
Yes Support disabled staff by ensuring their physical work environment reasonably takes account of any unique needs |
| Disabled staff provided with opportunities for career advancement |
Yes Support disabled staff by ensuring their development plans reasonably takes account of any unique needs |
| Agency supports a disabled staff network group |
Yes |
Yes |
| Internal agency newsletters promote the positive presence of disabled staff |
Some |
No |
| Information and data on disabled people is collected |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Information on agency’s responsiveness to disabled staff people |
| |
Number of disabled people employed |
68 people |
Continue to collect date and information |
| Data on disability related accommodations, adaptive equipment, etc, provided by your agency |
No |
No |
| Number of disabled people employed under the State Service Commission’s ‘Mainstream programme’2. |
Yes Three people |
Continue to collect data and information |
| Information on agency’s responsiveness to the disabled public |
| |
A number of business groups ensure customer service surveys include disability responsiveness questions. |
Some |
Some |
| Information / data on agency’s disabled client group recorded |
Some |
- |
Level 2 activities: Disability perspective included in ordinary work
| Disability responsiveness training and resources |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Disability responsiveness training offered to all staff |
No |
No |
| Promotion of the Disability Perspective Tool Kit3 within your agency: The Department’s Policy Process intranet site is a comprehensive departmental resource detailing the department’s nine-step policy development process. Reference to the Disability Strategy is contained within the Policy Frameworks and Tools and the Consultation Guidelines sections. This resource contains a direct link to the website for the Disability Strategy. |
Yes |
Yes |
| Disability perspective included in ordinary work |
| During 2006/07 the Department will continue the following work: |
Policy and Service delivery
All new policy work and service delivery programs within the Department will include consideration of a disability perspective in design, development and implementation. The Policy and Service Development Disability Perspective guidelines, the Department’s policy quality assurance process, and the disability audit tool will be used. Consultation with people representative of the disabilities community will take place where appropriate. Key documents that will incorporate a disability perspective include Cabinet papers, policy and procedure papers and strategic documents (eg Statement of Intent). The desired outcome is that current DIA services are accessible and able to be used by disabled people and that the needs of disabled people are considered and if appropriate are addressed as part of the development, design and implementation of new policies and services. |
| Disability perspective included in ordinary work (continued) |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Key documents to incorporate a disability perspective |
| |
|
Yes |
Yes |
- Policy quality assurance papers will verify that disability issues, to the extent that they are relevant, have been addressed as part of all policy development
|
Yes |
Yes |
- Strategic documents (Statement of Intent, Annual Report)
|
Yes |
Yes |
- Legislation – refer response to b
|
We will continue to undertake any action which arises from b |
- Consultation with disabled people/groups – refer response to b
|
- Customer service surveys include disability responsiveness questions
|
Some |
Some |
| Implementing the NZ Disability Strategy beyond your agency |
| During 2006/07 the Department will be progressing the following initiative: |
Interpreting and Translation Project – Office of Ethnic Affairs
This project is assessing the state of the New Zealand interpreting and translation industry (including sign language, Braille and other spoken languages). This stock take will be used to develop a needs-analysis. Based on these needs, recommendations will be made for achieving a nationally consistent standard. This project is currently in the scoping phase and will identify models that are currently succeeding and will scope options for applying those successful initiatives across all government sectors and locations. The desired outcome is a national standard in interpreting and translation for all people facing communication barriers, regardless of sector and location. The initial timeframe for the project is for the scoping report to be completed by the end of June 2006. A timeline and options for implementing the recommendations of the report will be developed once the scoping report is completed. |
| Implementing the NZ Disability Strategy beyond your agency (continued) |
Achieved / available |
Planned this year |
| Agencies, Crown Entities, boards, reference groups, etc, that your agency is responsible for are encouraged to consider disabled people and disability issues: |
No |
Letters sent to Crown Entities from the Regulation and Compliance Branch regarding their Statement of Intent obligations for the following year, will include reference to the New Zealand Disability Strategy. |
ANNEX A
| The Department maintains and administers the following websites: |
| Website: |
Providing information on: |
| www.dia.govt.nz |
Department of Internal Affairs information and services |
| www.ethnicaffairs.govt.nz |
Office of Ethnic Affairs information and services |
| www.civildefence.govt.nz |
Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management information and services |
| www.usar.govt.nz |
Urban Search and Rescue information for emergency sector groups |
| www.cdgo.govt.nz |
Grants Online website – for online Community Organisation Grant scheme and Lottery Grant applications. |
| www.identityservices.govt.nz |
Identity services online transactions (currently Death registrations and certificates only) |
| www.localcouncils.govt.nz |
Information about what councils do, to encourage public participation in local council processes. |
| www.localcentral.govt.nz |
Directory of central government agencies to help local authorities make contact for community outcomes processes. |
| The main Office of Ethnic Affairs website includes specialist sections for the following URL addresses: |
| Website: |
Specialist section: |
| www.languageline.govt.nz |
Language Line – an interpreting service |
1. For information on NZ Relay service
2. Information on the State Service Commission’s Mainstream Programme
3. The Disability Perspective Tool Kit is available on the Office for Disability Issues’ website
