Be Accessible

Disabilities Minister Tariana Turia is bemused by comments made from Labour’s Carmel Sepuloni following the social services select committee hearing into Vote Social Development.

“From the negative tone of her release, I wondered if Ms Sepuloni had attended a completely different meeting” said Mrs Turia.    “The focus of my presentation was the appropriation for promoting positive outcomes for disabled persons”.

“A key emphasis was Government’s support for Be Accessible – a community led initiative that aims to inspire and enable businesses, individuals and organizations to step up to the economic and social opportunities that emerge from promoting accessibility and inclusion”.

“Yet Ms Sepuloni issued a release which focused on discrimination, and a “narrow focus on the jobseeker” said Mrs Turia.   “

“Ms Sepuloni might do well to visit the Employment Disability Forum and to appreciate their desire for ‘radically improved labour market participation rates and income levels for disabled people’.

“It’s one thing to throw political shots at the Welfare Reform policy, but it’s quite another to be responsive to what disabled persons themselves are saying” said Mrs Turia.

“The Employment Disability Forum states upfront, that they are about “disabled people, disability organizations and employers being proactive in exploring options, finding solutions and developing collaboratively the way forward for disabled people in employment”.

“The last thing that people in the disability community need is a lack of vision and a lack of commitment to doing what it takes to prepare for a sustainable future in employment". 

“I welcome the opportunity to work alongside Minister Bennett and other Ministers on the Ministerial Working Group to take up the call from disabled persons for a long-term whole of government strategy to provide disabled people with a pathway to employment and more jobs”.

“And I will continue to advocate on behalf of disabled persons and their families against any changes that they consider would seriously impact on their life-chances”.