With 17% of New Zealand's population having a disability
according to the 2006 census, Anna Jameson, of CCS Disability
Action, is asking that the Queenstown Lakes District Council
have an adviser to advocate for the rights of that group.
Inventions to make life easier for people with disabilities
were the focus of the ''Show Your Ability'' disability
equipment expo in the Edgar Centre yesterday. The national
show of disability equipment followed expos in Auckland,
Hamilton, Palmerston North and Christchurch.
Wheelchair access throughout Dunedin has come a long
way but is still inadequate in many areas, those involved in
a disability awareness initiative learnt yesterday.
A gardener refused to move her vehicle and trailer from a
public disabled-driver car park while she worked in
Remarkables Park Town Centre, despite being asked to by a
disabled driver trying to use the spot.
Although they are yet to see the fine details, two of those
who work with the disabled in Dunedin are welcoming
additional government funding for services.
Having a choice of schools to attend is not always a reality
for high-needs special education pupils and CCS Disability
Action wants to find out how widespread the problem is.
A giraffe is an animal with four legs and a very long neck.
But to Cade Westoby and Calum Glasgow, it can often look like
nothing more than a yellow blur in a picture book.
The
frequency of committee meetings was under scrutiny at
yesterday's inaugural disability support and community and
public health advisory committee meeting in Dunedin, with one
member saying once every two months was not enough.
The deinstitutionalisation of care for the intellectually
disabled in this country - moved during the 1980s and beyond
from large "homes" where they were cared for by staff
employed under public service conditions into small groups in
community houses - was considered socially desirable and also
provided fiscal benefits.
