The 32-year-old, who has a learning disability, travelled with two others from the People First New Zealand organisation, to attend the Inclusion International Conference in Sharjah last month.
More than 700 delegates from around the world gathered to share experiences and ideas on self-advocacy and inclusion.
For Ms Henderson, who has been with People First for five years, including four years as president of the Southern region, the trip was an eye-opener and a personal milestone.
She said she was struck by how the rights of people with disabilities — and people in general — were treated in other parts of the world, including in Dubai.
"New Zealand’s attitude and the way we behave towards people with differences is way ahead of most," she said.
"There aren’t many [institutions] left in New Zealand where people can be chucked without the same rights as other adults, but in other countries people with disabilities must live in institutions without basic rights."
At the conference, she supported a colleague who made a presentation on the EasyRead tool that rewrote complex documents to be more easily understood.
In conference breaks she explored Dubai’s vast shopping malls, aquarium and the city’s old quarter, describing the pace, heat and strict rules as "hectic but fascinating".
Once unsure of her abilities, Ms Henderson said the journey marked how far she had come in confidence and independence.
She credited the people who helped her get there including the Balclutha Rotary Club and the late Sir Robert Martin, a trailblazer for disability rights in New Zealand.
"He was left in an institution as a baby but he survived and was the first person with a special-needs disability to be knighted.
"He sat with us at the first leadership weekend I went to and said, ‘I can see you’re a leader’ and encouraged me to join People First and then become the regional president.
"Four, five years ago I could not have seen myself doing all these things, now I want to keep those skills going and mentor and inspire others the way he did for me."
Ms Henderson is a fixture at the Pact Link Centre in Balclutha, volunteers for the library, works part-time and continues to advocate with the support of People First.
