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Disability Awareness

Monday 03/12/2018

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme this year is: Empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.

How often to do think about access? For a lot of people, it doesn’t even warrant a second thought. For anyone with mobility limitations, there’s no avoiding the issue of accessibility. Whether it’s calling ahead to find out if there’s wheelchair access, trying to explain your situation to an able-bodied person who doesn’t understand your specific needs, or outright exclusion; there are various challenges faced by people with disabilities.  

The Office for Disability Issues advocates for the inclusion and empowerment of people with disabilities and is working toward seven key outcomes in their vision: Education, Employment and Economic Security, Health and Wellbeing, Rights Protection and Justice, Accessibility, Attitudes, Choice and Control, and Leadership.

What’s something everyone can do to work toward these goals? Listen. If you are not disadvantaged by accessibility issues, the best contribution you can make on this issue is listening to the people that are affected, and acknowledging the roadblocks that are preventing equal access opportunities. Then, when the topic of accessibility comes up at your workplace, school, club or board, you can voice your support for positive change.   

Learn more and show your support for organisations that advocate for accessibility:

Arts Access Aotearoa 

CCS Disability Action 

Disability Pride Aotearoa   

Enable NZ 

Renaissance Group 

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