Including a disability perspective: A toolkit for government officials

Giving everyone a ‘fair go’ is a core value of New Zealand society. It reflects a long-standing ambition for a society that promotes the equal enjoyment of human rights. Disabled people and their families seek a society in which we can all feel we have that ‘fair go’, an inclusive and non-disabling society, which is good for all New Zealanders.

The aspirations of disabled people are as ambitious or as simple, and certainly as diverse, as those of the general population. However, the barriers to achieving these aspirations are quite different to those facing non-disabled people.

Disabled people are over-represented in lower-paid occupations, and are likely to have fewer financial and family resources than the general population. This economic disadvantage is compounded by the financial cost of disability. As a group, disabled people generally have poorer general health status, and poor access to support services and other arrangements that might allow them to move from a marginalised position in society.

Any decision by government may have an impact upon disabled people and their families. This online resource helps policy makers incorporate a disability perspective in government policy – in such things as drafting laws and regulations, developing policies, strategies and initiatives, and making changes to or developing new services – so we can contribute to making New Zealand an enabling, inclusive society.