Got a problem or need help?

Disability Toolkit for Policy

A disability analysis tool to help you as a policy practitioner to explore the disability implications of your policy as you move through the policy process. This toolkit is designed to help you provide frank and robust advice to decision-makers through the inclusion of a disability lens.

For New Zealand to be a non-disabling society, we need policy and decision-makers to consider how their interventions can create a place where disabled people have an equal opportunity to achieve their goals and aspirations. This toolkit will show you how.

This toolkit is a live document and will be updated regularly to reflect social and political context. We recommend you consult this toolkit regularly to keep up to date. This current version was released in February 2022.

If you spot any errors, have any feedback, or have any difficulties accessing the information contained in this toolkit, please email us at office_for_disability_issues@whaikaha.govt.nz 

icon group2

What is the Disability Toolkit for Policy? Nau mai, haere mai, welcome

All policy is disability policy. Every policy and service decision should be considered an opportunity to create a place where disabled people have an equal opportunity to achieve their goals and aspirations.

This toolkit is designed to:

  • help you consider the needs and aspirations of disabled people and their family/whānau
  • show you how to explore the disability impacts of your policy as you move through the policy process.
  • prompt your thinking with key questions, examples and links to useful information and data
  • help you incorporate Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the New Zealand Disability Strategy, and New Zealand’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into your work.

We recommend you use this toolkit alongside others in the Policy Methods Toolbox by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

How to use this tool

At a minimum, we recommend an hour to examine the questions in Step 3, and frame your answers to those questions.

More time may be required to incorporate your insights into action (e.g. engaging with disabled people or implementing your policies in different ways). While you may not be involved in every step of the policy process, it is worth considering each step and being clear with colleagues on the desired outcomes (for example, those involved in delivery, implementation or monitoring of the policy).

We recommend you read through the whole toolkit to be better prepared for future policy projects. In particular, we recommend you take the time to familiarise yourself with the things you should know: definitions, concepts and approaches page.

Download full resources [DOCX 257 KB]