Kia ora and welcome. We are a group of disabled citizens in NZ who are concerned at the lack of progress on critical issues concerning us.
Housing and health are at crisis level and the pandemic exposed many gaps for disabled in consultation and decisions made for us but not by us or often even about us.
We do not belong to any provider group or organisation but encourage every disabled citizen and our allies to join us in sending a message of hope to disabled and come to our event at Parliament grounds on the 23rd March 2021.
Allies, providers and family/whanau are all welcome to join us.
Anyone wishing to run their own Hikoi in their own town outside Wellington can do so here.
WHAT: The Hikoi of hope for disabled
WHEN: 11am – 2pm
WHERE: Wellington Parliament Grounds plus other centres.
Damn shame no-one has commented yet. As a long time lurker its suprising that there is no interest considering Disability rights go hand in hand with Unemployed rights and law and order.
Historically speaking National once in power cuts Disability funding on the sly pushing more Disabled into poverty and substandard living. Solo Parents ( Usually Female) often get trapped in abusive and toxic relationships often with the Disabled Child suffering abuse and neglect by the Male, after all its not his Child. All because of around a 70% divorce rate for parents of a Disabled child and disability poverty.
If you are severly Disabled you go into full time residental care and recieve the grand sum of $83.48 per week to cover personal costs, take out your share of internet (If your house has it) and your doctors bill of $80 per month which you are forced to go to because of being on restricted medication and there is nothing left. Holiday, What Holiday. Kiwisaver? Whats that.
It may suprise most People that there are in fact Two Justice systems in New Zealand, One for Joe Bloggs who has the right to face His Peers and One for the Intellectually Disabled Who is convicted on the “balance of Probalities” There is no justice for the Intellectually Disabled.
Just to put it into perspective if my Daughter was sexually assaulted by a Male caregiver She may be able to say Who, Where and When but is so cognitivly impared She could not be cross examined in Court. This is of course a breach of the male caregivers “Human rights” and the Police rarely prosecute or take action and are ill equiped and trained to take their statement in a way they understand. I know this from personal experience when She was assaulted by a caregiver with visable injuries. Reverse the situation and She is convicted on the balance of probalities and sentenced to a facility ill equiped to deal with Her.
All New Zealanders should take a interest in Disability rights because it effects you in hidden ways. One day it could be your Parents, Child, Grandchild, neighbour or best friend. Meet the Disabled. The Grand child who fell off the roof when playing, The bank Manager who had a stroke, The one who drowned in the bath when He was 2 while His Mother went out for a Cigarette, or the one who was simply born that way. These are real people and they exist. I often think of the Disabled community as a hidden community within a comunity. We exist.
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