Plans to cut Disability Advisors at Auckland Council
Plans to cut Disability Advisors at Auckland Council Anger Disability Community
Disability Rights campaigners are angry about plans to disestablish the only Disability Advisors at Auckland Council.
“The disability community has told the Council and the Mayor that we need the Disability Advisors. We have explained the pivotal role they play in allowing disabled people to participate in decisions that affect them and we can’t believe that despite this feedback from us they are still threatening to take these vital roles away.
The disability community think Empowered Communities is a good initiative. It’s just that when 21 local boards are working through their own area issues, disability could fall off the radar. The progress we have made since having specific Disability Advisors to Council could be lost and there is fear there will be no more progress.”, said Disability Rights Campaigner Debbie Hager.
Campaigners say the Disability Advisors have played a
crucial role in assisting disabled Aucklanders to engage
with Auckland Council, and to assist the Council to
understand how to involve disabled people in so many aspects
of the Council’s work.
The work they do includes
:
• making Council events accessible
• Accessible
consultation with disability community on Council and CCO
projects including the Long Term Plan (LTP), Unitary Plan,
RTP, Solid Waste changes, Thriving
Communities
• Ensuring that violence prevention work
includes the voices of disabled people
• Ensuring that
Council information is provided in accessible formats
including NZSL and easy read
• Working with Auckland
Transport to encourage accessibility of public transport
systems
• Supporting the Disability Advisory
Panel
However, under the proposed ‘Empowered
Communities approach’ model there would be no disability
specialists at Auckland Council.
ENDS