New Zealand will have achieved the vision of a non-disabling society when individuals who have experienced disability reach and can sustain their optimum level of participation within their communities.

Participation in communities will be at its optimum when opportunities and outcomes for people who experience disability are the same as for other New Zealanders. Among these opportunities and outcomes are:

• equal educational opportunities and achievement
• equal employment opportunities and employment rates
• equal access to business opportunities
• the same levels of political participation (such as voting in elections)
• comparable income levels
• comparable housing, in terms of quality of the housing and living situations
• equal access to a range of lifestyle choices, family life, culture, recreation and social networks
• equal access to the built physical environment
• equal access to transport
• equal access to communication (including mainstream and assistive technology) and information
• equal access to effective medical care.

Progress towards these opportunities and outcomes should be able to be measured regularly through the post-Census disability survey, and other data sources.

Questions

4. What are other ways to tell when the vision has been achieved?

5. What information would help measure this?