6.00pm Visitors Lounge, 3rd Floor, Canterbury Museum

Rau rangatira maa,
tenei te mihi ki a koutou i runga i te kaupapa o te ra.
Tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.

[Distinguished guests, greetings to you gathered here for this purpose today. Greetings once, twice, three times to you all.]

Hello everyone, and thank you for inviting me to open this wonderful photo exhibition by members of the SkillWise Photography Group.

Thank you to the photographers and their parents and caregivers and to the staff of SkillWise for all your hard work in preparing this show. I'd like to acknowledge also the SkillWise trustees here tonight and representatives from other community organisations.

As Minister for Disability Issues, I always welcome the chance to meet people involved in the sector, and to learn about the exciting things happening around the country to make New Zealand a truly inclusive society.

The biggest barrier to disabled people’s acceptance and inclusion is the attitude of other New Zealanders. This invisible barrier consists of social attitudes towards disability - attitudes that can range from well-meaning but ill-informed sympathy to discrimination and prejudice.

These attitudes are often expressed in language. We hear of a person succeeding "in spite of" her disability, rather than because of her talents and abilities. We hear of people "suffering from" or "afflicted with" a disability, rather than having an impairment. We read of a person "confined to" a wheelchair, rather than using a wheelchair.

In addition to these everyday misuses, there are other, more derogatory terms, each one saying more about the person using the term than about the diverse and successful lives of disabled people. Derogatory language is, I think, less in evidence in New Zealand today than a generation ago, and that is evidence of a changing of attitudes. But there is still a long way to go.

Historical changes

Just 30 years ago, most people with disabilities lived in institutions, with their lives kept quite separate from the wider community. Their need for and right to participate in social, employment, and therapeutic activities wasn’t recognised.

Thankfully times have changed and New Zealand has a Minister for Disability Issues - a voice on disability at the highest levels of government.

It has been, and still is, my privilege to be that Minister, and to continue promoting the full participation of disabled people as ordinary members of our communities.

In 2001, we launched the New Zealand Disability Strategy, and a year later we established the Office for Disability Issues to lead and monitor its implementation. Thanks to the Strategy, we’re seeing a much stronger disability perspective in key policy areas such as education, transport, communication, and health and disability support services.

Pathways to inclusion
Four and a half years have passed since the Pathways to Inclusion, the Government’s policy on vocational services for disabled people, was published. During this period there have been enormous changes in the way the vocational disability sector has organised itself, and this has led to an increase from approximately 1500 employment placements (not including sheltered workshop participants) to over 8,000 placements. Included in this overall figure is the increase by 820 of the placements made by Workbridge (including 160 placements to be used to assist people with disabilities living in rural areas).

Linked to this growth in employment outcomes has been a considerable growth in demand for the Workbridge administered Support Funds. The emphasis placed by the Pathways policy on increasing the participation of disabled people in employment and the favourable labour market have both played a part in this demand.

Sheltered workshops have been given additional funding to prepare themselves for the new employment environment which will follow the repeal of the Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act (1960). Also in preparation for the repeal over 640 Minimum Wage Exemption certificates have been issued to people working in sheltered workshops. Some workshops have determined that they are not in an employment relationship with their clients, but are, in fact offering community participation type services, and one has not required any Minimum Wage Exemption certificates as it is paying all its workers the Minimum Wage or better.

Finance and ongoing support have been given to a number of Sheltered Workshops that have indicated their intention to move away from their traditional role to the provision of Community Participation and Supported Employment services. The Ministry of Social Development has also extended the contracts of a number of service providers to provide an additional designated staff member to assist their clients’ movement from community participation into supported employment.