Shared result: Promote access in the community

This result focuses on access throughout the community in all forms:
  • accessible buildings and spaces, transport, urban design
  • accessible information, communications
  • access to health services, justice services
  • political and civic participation.

It recognises obligations in the CRPD, particularly Articles 5, 8, 9, 21, 25, 29 and 30.

9. Priority: Increase government services’ responsiveness to disabled people

a) Increase accessibility of information across government agencies. Lead: Office for Disability Issues and DPOs.

b) Understand the journey through the justice sector for disabled adults, disabled children and their families. Lead: Ministry of Justice.

c) Increase access to health services and improve health outcomes for disabled people with a specific focus on people with learning/intellectual disabilities. Lead: Ministry of Health.

d) Explore how the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992 relates to the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 and the CRPD. Lead: Ministry of Health.

e) Implement the work programme of the Disability Data and Evidence Working Group, including a focus on Māori and Pasifika. Lead: Office for Disability Issues and Statistics New Zealand.

f) Undertake a stocktake to identify any legislation that is not consistent with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and explore options to improve consistency. Lead: Office for Disability Issues and DPOs.

g) Investigate opportunities for technology to increase disabled people’s participation in work, community and political life, including through both assistive and access to mainstream technology. Lead: ACC.

h) Develop a framework for understanding the costs of disability and mechanisms for meeting these. Lead: ACC and Ministry of Social Development.

Deferred until 2017/18: i) Investigate how Government can utilise a whānau ora approach for disabled persons who prefer a whānau and community inclusive approach to government services. Lead: to be determined.

10. Priority: Increase the accessibility for disabled people of the built environment and transport services

a) Implement the recommendations agreed by the Chief Executives’ Group on Disability Issues, which were identified through the stocktake on the accessibility of public transport. Lead: Ministry of Transport and New Zealand Transport Agency.

b) Implement the Accessibility Plan: Public Buildings. Lead: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

c) Understand the impact of disability on housing needs and influence the social housing reform programme to meet the needs of disabled people. Lead: Office for Disability Issues.

11. Priority: Promote disabled people participating in political and civic processes

a) DPOs to complete a stocktake of what are the areas needing the most attention and which will make the biggest difference to promote disabled people participating in political and civic processes. ODI will convene a discussion with DPOs and relevant government agencies to discuss priorities from the DPOs stocktake and identify possible actions. Lead: DPOs.

12. Priority: Promote opportunities for disabled people to participate in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport

a) Investigate the feasibility of introducing a companion card programme in New Zealand to reduce the cost barrier for disabled people who require a companion to attend paid-entry activities. Lead: Ministry for Culture and Heritage.

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