Accessibility Week promotes disability awareness, challenges stereotypes

Southern DHB staff attend an educational session with DHB Disability Working Group Chairperson...
Southern DHB staff attend an educational session with DHB Disability Working Group Chairperson John Marrable (centre) as part of Accessibility Week.
Southern DHB marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on Friday 3 December by recently hosting an Accessibility Week – celebrating contributions and achievements of people with disabilities, challenging stereotypes, removing barriers and promoting inclusivity within the workplace.

Dunedin, Southland and Lakes District Hospital promoted Accessibility Week, featuring interactive displays, braille sessions with ‘That Blind Woman’ Julie Woods, and an education session with Southern DHB Disability Working Group Chairperson John Marrable.

“By acknowledging this important day, we can take action to remove barriers for the 1.1 million New Zealanders with a disability and contribute to positive change in our workplace and the Southern community,” says Mr Marrable.

“We are just like everyone else and want to be treated with the same dignity.”

Along with foyer displays and educational sessions, one of the key focusses of Accessibility Week was ableism - the discrimination of disabled people based on the belief that able-bodied people are superior.

“Disability is not something individuals have, but it’s created by the barriers that are put before us,” says ‘That Blind Woman’ Julie Woods.

“Accessibility Week is so important because it provides us the opportunity to put the spotlight on the 24% of the New Zealand population who live with a disability. It also allows the able-bodied community a chance to see what is possible for people with disabilities.”

 

Check out these other Better Health South stories:
Board Update - November 2021
Keeping Safe Over Summer
Southern Hits 90% Vaccination Rate
Dunedin Hospital Draws on Decades-old Technology to Fight COVID-19

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