Address Association of Blind Citizens Conference

Good afternoon and thank you for inviting me to speak at your annual conference. 'Consumerism into the New Millennium' is an interesting theme (which I assume refers to your consumer advocacy focus rather than a craving for a new lounge suite or microwave!).

I bring greetings from the Prime Minister Helen Clark and my other Auckland colleagues. I understand that Green MP Sue Bradford spoke to you this morning, and I want to acknowledge her tireless work on behalf of beneficiairies for many years. I also note that your after-dinner speaker is my former boss and personal friend David Lange, and I have no doubt that you will be stimulated and entertained by his address.

The Association of Blind Citizens has a proud tradition of supporting consumers. In fact, you were set up for this purpose in 1945, making you one of New Zealand's first disability consumer groups.

Your consumer focus has always been your strength. That focus has helped form a strong and vibrant disability movement, which in turn has shaped the New Zealand Disability Strategy. In fact, one of your members, Robyn Hunt, was the co-chair of the hardworking sector reference group that developed the strategy.

The strategy gives us, for the first time, the framework to begin addressing disability issues across all sectors, policies, services and legislation. At the launch in April, Gary Williams, head of DPA described it, as "the most important thing that has happened to people with disabilities in this country". I agree with him.

At the heart of the strategy's vision of a fully inclusive society lies an acknowledgement of each person's unique identity. The strategy says that vision will be realised when (among other things):
·the diversity of people with disabilities is recognised, and there is flexibility to support their differing aspirations and goals;
·people with disabilities are integrated into community life on their own terms; and
·interdependence is recognised and valued, especially the importance of relationships between people with disabilities and their families, friends, whanau and other people who provide support.

Diversity. Integration on your own terms. Interdependence. These are all key features of your identity as blind and visually impaired people - that are supported by the New Zealand Disability Strategy - and no doubt will be explored more fully at this conference.

Rights
Out of a sense of identity spring rights. It is only when we know who we are - are proud of who we are - that we can stand up for our rights to be valued and supported to participate fully in our communities on our own terms.

I know that Chief Human Rights Commissioner Rosyln Noonan spoke to you on this topic yesterday.

Let me just say that the New Zealand Disability Strategy is based on human rights principles - the same principles that you work from.

The strategy says that human rights must be 'protected as a fundamental cornerstone of government policy and practice'. One of its 15 objectives focuses solely on ensuring the rights of people with disabilities.

Rights underpin all the other objectives too, which cover things like education, employment, support systems, community living, lifestyle choices, and relevant information.

Access to information
Communication, and access to information, are key issues for blind and visually impaired people. Too often, people are not able to participate fully in society because they cannot get the information they need in the form they need it.

That is why both the discussion document and the final disability strategy were published in Braille, audiotape, large print, easy-to-read and pictorial versions, as well as conventional formats. The result was an impressive 700 submissions from a wide cross-section of the disability sector, including feedback from 68 consultation meetings throughout the country.

The website for the strategy and other disability information has been specially designed to be accessible to all Web users. Other government departments are beginning to take accessibility seriously as well.

At the beginning of October, the Department of Internal Affairs launched its new website, which your president Jonathon Mosen has said is fantastic, takes the IT needs of the blind seriously at last, and brings the visually impaired and colour blind into the 21st century.

Almost all of the massive site is approved by Bobby, an online tool for testing the accessibility of websites for users with disabilities. All documents except Adobe PDF files can be read by a screen reader, and there are plans to upgrade these files. The entire site can also be navigated solely by keyboard.

This website is in line with action 6.5 in the disability strategy, "to make all information and communication methods offered to the general public available in formats appropriate to the different needs of people with disabilities".

It shows what is possible when government departments think about the needs and rights of all citizens before they plan services, and will undoubtedly encourage higher standards of accessible information throughout the state sector.

Government work plans
You may be aware that 11 key government departments have already developed work plans setting out how they will implement the strategy in the coming year.

From 2002, all departments will be expected to prepare annual plans, and will be monitored against them. This practical checklist is the way we will measure our progress and achievements.

To be blunt, a lot of change is needed within departments and the public service workforce, let alone to policies and services. That’s why in this first set of plans you will see that many departments are having to focus on basic infrastructural issues such as human resources, physical access, communications and consultation, staff training and information.

I hope you will read the plans – they’re available on the NZDS website - and use them as a tool to promote further change.

Consultation
As I said earlier, we received 700 submissions on the disability strategy, more than for the Health Strategy – not that it's a competition, of course.

I know that sometimes you wonder about the value of devoting so much time and energy into submissions and consultation - which is not surprising, given the broken promises you have endured from governments for more than a decade.

I can assure you that times have changed. The Labour/Alliance Coalition Government is committed to developing a meaningful relationship with disability organisations and the wider community sector. That's why we set up the Community and Voluntary Sector working party and, as a result of its recommendations, have agreed to:
·develop a Statement of Intent that will articulate clear objectives for government agencies in restoring an improved relationship with the community sector;
·improve participatory processes around developing and making policy;
·improve funding and accountability arrangements; and
·strengthen the community sector.

Improving the 'culture of government' is something that needs to be addressed in each of these work streams. The basic message to government agencies is that people are to be treated with respect, dignity and compassion.

Advocacy services
I know that the road has not been easy for you, and that funding of information and advocacy services is an ongoing issue. It is always going to be difficult to make advocacy services a top priority for government spending when there are so many acute demands for provision of practical services.

However, I want to thank you for remaining committed to your original vision of empowerment and inclusion of blind and visually impaired people. I do believe that your role is a crucial one, and I am really keen to discuss with you innovative ways to provide advocacy models.

You are supported by Mark Graham, a UK disability consultant, who recently ran a number of workshops in this country on disability and conflict resolution. Mr Graham observed that New Zealand is ahead on disability rights legislation, but that the lobbying and political activism needed to back up the law are only just emerging.

"The focus needs to shift to the rights of people with disabilities and their capacity to contribute, and away from the belief that people with disabilities are people who need to be looked after," he said.

Organisations like ABC - and events such as this conference - strengthen the advocacy arm, and hence the rights, of blind people.

On that note, I want to congratulate the Canterbury branch of ABC who, in a joint initiative with Christchurch Public Hospital, have installed tactile number plates to indicate floor levels beside all hospital lifts. I see the branch has now taken up another challenge - better access to the city's Bus Exchange for blind and visually impaired people, and that this call has been publicly backed by Christchurch DPA.

Joining forces with other consumer advocacy organisation makes a lot of sense, and I am delighted to see that a remit for ABC to re-join DPA is on the agenda this weekend. Recent world events are a sober reminder of how small our world is, how inter-connected our interests, how great our need to work and live together.

Partnerships with local authorities and government agencies are also providing new opportunities for consumer advocacy. Let me give you a few examples:

1.Auckland City Council and people with disabilities have established a Disability Relationship Project. Its three priorities are direct input of people with disabilities into policy and service planning; disability awareness training of council staff; and communication and advocacy. In July, the council held a meeting of the region's mayors, decision makers, service providers and people with disabilities, to look at ways to build an accessible and inclusive environment. I understand they are now developing a regional plan to implement the disability strategy.

2.The Northern Region Locality of the Disability Issues Directorate has also been exploring partnerships with people with disabilities, including:
(i)the appointment of person with a disability to assist with complex service coordination;
(ii)a partnership between DID and DPA Auckland where people with disabilities have been physically located in the DID office, taken responsibility for several projects, and been involved in team meetings; and
(iii)most recently, a broadening of the partnership through a new organisation called DEAS – which stands for disability empowerment, advocacy and support. Its vision is "a vibrant sought-after organisation promoting people with disabilities to create change through leadership" and it has four arms, representing Maori, Pacific peoples, family and parents, and people with disabilities in general.

3.In the Midland area, the Ministry of Health and disability community groups have formed a productive relationship through the APEPSI (advocacy, promotion, education, prevention, support and information) Trusts. There are five trusts across the region, which bring together local disability community groups, give them a stronger voice, help identify service gaps and act as funding distribution bodies.

No doubt you have lots of other examples of partnerships that are working. The most important thing is to focus on the quality of the relationship. It is no coincidence that the first step outlined in the disability strategy to create a fully inclusive society is that "people with disabilities have a meaningful relationship with Government, communities and support agencies, based on respect and equality."

There are a couple of other things I would like to touch on briefly before I finish – the separation of disability support services funding into two streams, and the government's review of vocational services for people with disabilities.

DSS funding split
The DSS funding split acknowledges that the complex and serious health and disability needs of older people are not the same as the typically more stable needs of most younger people with disabilities.

The funding split will enable the government to focus better on each group. We know some new anomalies will arise but overall, anomalies will be reduced because most people over 65 have disability and health needs that need to be seen in a total context.

The funding split also gives us a chance to look at the DSS budget for younger people. The questions we have to answer are:
§What funding should stay with the Ministry of Health, (if any)?
§What funding should go to the District Health Boards, (if any)?
§What funding should go elsewhere, outside health?
There is still a lot of work to be done before these decisions are made, and I would be very interested to hear your views.

Vocational Services Review
Finally, I want to mention the Vocational Services Review document, Pathways to Inclusion, which I released a few weeks ago. During the review, people with disabilities, including blind and visually impaired people, made it very clear that they want services that help them find work.

From now on, employment will be the main focus of vocational services funded by government. We will do everything we can to make sure people with disabilities have the opportunity to gain real skills and real jobs, with the same rights and conditions as other workers.

As part of this commitment, we are going to repeal the Disabled Persons Employment Act 1960. The act treats people with disabilities unfairly by giving sheltered workplaces a blanket exemption from minumum wage and holiday provisions for their workers. When it is repealed, people with disabilities in an employment relationship will have the same rights and entitlements as everyone else.

The DPEP Act will be repealed next year, with changes phased in over five years to give providers and consumers time to adjust to the new environment.
This will ensure that there is minimum disruption to the sector and that people with disabilities continue to have access to vocational services and opportunities.

Conclusion
Thank you again for inviting me to speak to you today. ABC has a vital role to play in consumer advocacy, and in promoting blind and visually impaired people and their achievements.
It will come as no surprise to you that the greatest barrier to participation identified during consultation over the strategy was people's negative attitudes.
This is the biggest challenge of all and as the first Minister for Disability Issues, I want to assure you of my commitment to working with you to create a society where all citizens feel valued and supported.

And now I am happy to answer any questions.