News

Human Rights Review Tribunal Decision

A process that started in mid-2009 has finally come to fruition.

The Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosslyn Noonan called on the Government to begin carer payments immediately to a group of parents looking after severely disabled adult children after they were victorious in a court decision.

The long running case was between nine parents and their severely disabled adult children and the Ministry of Health. The Ministry pays for carers to look after severely disabled people, however if the carer happens to be a family member, they are not eligible for the payment.

In the landmark decision the Human Rights Review Tribunal decision found the parents have been discriminated against by the Ministry of Health because “they are not allowed to be paid for the services they provide to their child (or children) while anyone else providing the very same care to their child (or children) is able to be paid.”

Read more about the Tribunal decision... (DOC 72 kB)

Disability Clothesline Project

"The disability clothesline project is a way of breaking the silence about violence and abuse, enabling victims to give creative expression to their experiences as they use clothing as a canvas.

The disability clothesline project will gather our stories and experience; it will bring the invisible into the light."

The Disability Coalition Against Violence scheme was launched in Wellington, with a dozen T-shirts from survivors of abuse.

An Australian study has shown intellectually disabled people are twice as likely to be assaulted and 10 times more likely to be sexually abused than the rest of the population, Associate Disability Issues Minister Pansy Wong said. "That is a chilling statistic. It's sickening to think offenders can prey on the most vulnerable."

There were no figures on the overall level of abuse among disabled people in New Zealand. However, a Women's Affairs Ministry study has found that of almost 2000 female victims of sexual abuse, 31 per cent had a psychological or physical disability. It has been estimated that one in five people have some form of disability.

Works 4 Us Employment Advocacy Service

People First, in association with the Ministry of Social Development, launched the Works 4 Us Employment Advocacy Service last week.

This service assists people with learning disabilities to advocate for their rights at work. Services include negotiating wages and conditions, talking with people about work problems and delivering workshops on employment rights. To contact the service and manager, Dave Wickham, call 0800 40 40 49.

Have a look at the website