Pleased to host 4 Labour MPs this week to hear the voices of disabled people and their families. The status quo of a supply side budget for disability services simply isn't keeping up with the demands of parents of disabled children. https://lnkd.in/gncCJpi7
What kind of NZ do you want to live in? Some Board members and staff at Disability Connect met with members of the Labour Party ( Rt Hon Christopher Hipkins, Hon Carmel Sepuloni, Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Shanan Halbert) today to talk about the impact of the current government's 'pause' on funding for disabled people and the carers who support family members. In all the years I've been involved in the disability sector I've never seen disabled people and carers so angry, feeling humiliated and demonised as right now - after the March 18th 'pause' announcement by the former Minister of Disability Penny Simmonds. The impact on families, on carer's and disabled people's mental health, on their overall well being is huge. The NZ public needs to be aware that this is only a few thousand dollars per family - if they are awarded the full entitlement. People are feeling crushed and demoralised. It seems that day after day new announcements are made as to what people cannot have to support the disabled person in their family. And yesterday a review of Whaikaha was announced. More humiliation. Not one of the three people undertaking the review is disabled. For me that's like appointing three men to review the Ministry of Women's Affairs. I suppose calling it an 'independent review' is how Minister Upston gets around that issue - but once again how can people who haven't got lived experience of disability understand the lives disabled people live? Looking at the review parameters I'm concerned that this is a cost cutting exercise, that eligibility criteria will be tightened, and I wonder how the investigation into the 'legal framework for Disability Support Services ' will be interpreted. Yet another dark day in the disability community. Once again - the disability community remains on high alert, anticipating yet more disruption in their, at times, challenging lives.