Promote opportunities for Pacific people experiencing disability to participate in their communities and access disability services.

Key step:

• Build the capacity of Pacific communities, including their people who experience disability, through equitable and more appropriate distribution of resources.

A Pacific couple and their twin babies with physical impairments were living with their fanau. Their health care worker felt that their house was overcrowded, so encouraged and supported the couple to get their own place. Both parents then had to get jobs so that they could pay the rent. A social worker contacted a child care agency to arrange childcare, but this caused lots of ill feeling. Some of the fanau felt that they should be the ones looking after the babies.

"They [professionals] seemed to know what they were doing and we just kind of got carried along with that. When I think back, I don’t think any of them told us what other options we had. My aunties gave us heaps and said we should remember who we are more. Now we need to tell the social worker that we don’t want the twins to go to the child care lady and we’re not sure how to do it.

The best thing for all of us would be if someone would pay one of my aunties to look after the kids."

Sione

Questions

23. What prevents Pacific people who experience disability from participating in their communities and accessing disability services?

24. How can the Government help remove these barriers?