National is failing disabled New Zealanders

A report released today shows that thousands of New Zealanders with disabilities face insurmountable barriers to getting paid work despite their eagerness for employment, says Labour’s spokesperson for Disability Issues Clare Curran.

The Convention Coalition, representing the New Zealand Disability sector, today released its second independent monitoring report on disability rights in New Zealand.

The creation and funding of the Convention Coalition was one of the obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons signed by the Labour Government in 2007 and ratified in 2008.

“The report is further evidence that the National-led Government is simply paying lip-service to the needs of disabled New Zealanders.

“It shows that while 30% of working age people are unemployed, for those with a disability, a staggering 56% are unemployed,” Clare Curran said.

The report covered private business, utility companies, local bodies and state services.

“Barriers outlined include a lack of accessible transport, inadequate policy that hinders communication and interaction; a lack of access to interpreters, a lack of easy-read and braille documents and a lack of accessible electronic texts.

“Disabled New Zealanders reported an unwillingness by state servants to work with them and a general lack of disability awareness and responsiveness.

“This is simply unacceptable. Not only does it show that this Government is not fulfilling its responsibilities, but it is effectively blocking a group of people with a willingness to work from being able to.

“National’s freeze on funding to the Mainstream Employment Program will only exacerbate the situation.

“Today’s report identifies six priority initiatives out of a total of 23 specific recommendations. A previous report from 2010 identified social inclusion as the greatest issue facing those with disabilities. In 2012 we see how little progress has been made by the Government in many of the areas previously identified.

“The disabilities sector has been open about the challenges it faces. I hope the Minister will take heed of this report and work to correct the issues identified,” Clare Curran said.