INFLUENCING GOVERNMENT

The CCS Policy Team continues to advocate for broad social change. As well as two general policy roles, the team now includes the Information Manager, and the Tumu Whakarae, National Manager Maori Policy and Strategy.

It is involved in strategic work, closely working with the National Development and Marketing Teams.

Over the 2005/06 year, this collaboration resulted in successful awareness campaigns, including ‘Let’s Get in Early’ and Policy work around mobility parking, public transport, and the ‘Moving around Communities’ project.

The CCS Policy Team continues to lobby for fully inclusive education for all disabled children and works closely with organisations such as IHC and DPA to further this objective.

It also continues to advocate around accessibility in our communities including public transport.

The team is engaged with organisations such as the Human Rights Commission, and the Ministries of Social Development, Health and Education.

It produces written submissions including:
· submissions on accessible housing
· making the disability support workforce responsive to the needs of disabled people and their   families
· and assisting public libraries to meet the information needs of disabled people.

The Policy Team continues to lobby government decision-makers across parties and departments.

The team has been successful in improving the rights of disabled children through early support and intensive flexible family support and submitted on the repeal of Section 59 of the 1961 Crimes Act. Another key success was its input into the Telecommunications Relay Service Review, making sure a permanent Speech to Speech telephone service was available for people with speech impairments.

As a team working for CCS at National Office, its goal is to continue to raise issues politically, make successful submissions and seek to uphold the basic human rights of disabled people.