Government's Objectives

Objective 1: Encourage and educate for a non-disabling society

• Encourage the emergence of a non-disabling society that respects and highly values the lives of disabled people and supports inclusive communities.

Objective 2: Ensure rights for disabled people

• Uphold and promote the rights of disabled people.

Objective 3: Provide the best education for disabled people

• Improve education so that all children, youth and adult learners will have equal opportunities to learn and develop in their local, regular educational centres.

Objective 4: Provide opportunities in employment and economic development for disabled people

• Enable disabled people to work in the open labour market (in accordance with human rights principles) and maintain an adequate income.

Objective 5: Foster leadership by disabled people

• Acknowledge the experience of disability as a form of specialised knowledge and strengthen the leadership of disabled people.

Objective 6: Foster an aware and responsive public service

• Ensure that government agencies, publicly funded services and publicly accountable bodies (such as territorial authorities) are aware of and responsive to disabled people.

Objective 7: Create long-term support systems centred on the individual

• Create a quality assessment and service delivery system that is centred on disabled people, ensures their participation in assessment and service delivery, has invisible borders and is easy to access.

Objective 8: Support quality living in the community for disabled people

• Provide opportunities for disabled people to have their own homes and lives in the community.

Objective 9: Support lifestyle choices, recreation and culture for disabled people

• Create and support lifestyle choices for disabled people within the community and promote access to recreation and cultural opportunities.

Objective 10: Collect and use relevant information about disabled people and disability issues

• Improve the quality of relevant disability information collected, analysed and used, including regular national surveys of activity limitation.

Objective 11: Promote participation of disabled Māori

• Promote opportunities for disabled Māori to participate in their communities and access disability services. Disabled Māori should receive an equitable level of resource that is delivered in a culturally appropriate way.

Objective 12: Promote participation of disabled Pacific peoples

• Promote opportunities for disabled Pacific peoples to participate in their communities and access disability services. Disabled Pacific peoples should receive an equitable level of resource that is delivered in a culturally appropriate way.

Objective 13: Enable disabled children and youth to lead full and active lives

• Disabled children and youth should enjoy full and active lives, in conditions that prepare them for adulthood and which:
• ensure their dignity
• affirm their right to a good future and to participate in education, relationships, leisure, work and political processes
• recognise their emerging identities as individuals and reinforce their sense of self
• promote self-reliance
• recognise their important links with family, friends and school
• facilitate their active participation in the community.

Objective 14: Promote participation of disabled women in order to improve their quality of life

• Improve opportunities for disabled women to participate in their communities, access appropriate disability services, and improve their quality of life.

Objective 15: Value families, whānau and people providing ongoing support

• Acknowledge and support the roles, responsibilities and issues facing family, whānau and those who support disabled people.