Minister's Foreword
Tena koutou katoa.
Tena koutou nga tangata haua me o koutou whānau, hoa, hapori hoki, tae atu ki te hunga e tautoko ana i te whakakotahi i a ngai tatau.
Greetings to all people with disabilities, their families/whānau, friends and communities, and all those who support a fully-inclusive society.
In April 2001, the Labour/Alliance Government launched the New Zealand Disability Strategy. The strategy's vision is for a society that values the lives of people with disabilities and enhances their full participation in society.
Pathways to Inclusion is an important step towards realising that vision. It signals a new direction for vocational services, aimed at achieving greater participation of people with disabilities in employment and in our communities.
During our review of vocational services, people with disabilities told us they want to determine their own futures and be treated as valued members of society. They want services that help them to find work, are tailored to their individual needs, and are delivered by trained, professional staff.
Service providers told us they need a clear policy direction, and greater financial security and support.
Pathways to Inclusion responds positively to both those calls.
We will do everything we can to make sure people with disabilities have the opportunity to gain real skills and real jobs, with the same rights and conditions as other workers.
Our decision to repeal the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act 1960 (DPEP Act) is part of this commitment. The DPEP Act treats people with disabilities unfairly by giving sheltered workshops a blanket exemption from minimum wage and holidays legislation.
When the Act is repealed, people with disabilities in an employment relationship will have the same rights and entitlements as everyone else. This is a significant and long-awaited change, which recognises the human rights of people with disabilities, and the Government's commitment to create a fully-inclusive society.
The primary focus of Pathways to Inclusion will be on providing genuine employment opportunities for people with disabilities. However, full-time paid work is not practical or desirable for everybody. For this reason, we are also committed to improving the quality of vocational services that help people participate in their communities in other ways.
Change to the new environment will be phased in over five years. During that time providers will be supported to develop new employment relationships and community participation programmes. In this way, we will ensure that there is minimum disruption to the sector and that people with disabilities continue to have access to vocational services and opportunities.
Pathways to Inclusion gives the Government a new foundation on which to build vocational services. I would like to thank all those who have been involved in this review. Your contributions have helped forge a new direction that truly reflects the rights and needs of the people at the centre of all our services.
However, our efforts will only succeed if there is a mindshift at all levels - among communities, employers, service providers, families/whānau and people with disabilities themselves.
The challenge for us all is to stop judging people by what they can't do, and start valuing what they can do.
It is a very exciting time for people with disabilities and those who support them. The most important thing is that we keep talking, keep sharing our ideas and expertise so that we can work together through this period of change.
Together, we can make a world of difference.
Hon Ruth Dyson
Minister of Disability Issues.
Associate Minister of Social Services and Employment.