Exclusion from society still experienced by those with menta

MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 26 April

“Too often, those of us living with mental health problems are still held back. We all need to learn from successful programmes around the world that have been led by people with lived experience of mental health problems,” says Liz Sayce, OBE.

Liz Sayce, Chief Executive of Disability Rights UK and author of From psychiatric patient to citizen will be speaking at the annual Like Minds, Like Mine National Provider Seminar on 2 May.

Liz has personal experience of mental health issues, and will be speaking about the major contributions that people with experience of mental illness can make to communities, to families, and to workplaces.

“Developments in improving media reporting and social inclusion, including removing barriers to employment show how we can put rights into practice so that everyone can live safely from prejudice and fully participate in society,” Liz says.

The Like Minds, Like Mine National Provider Seminar is held annually to guide the Like Minds programme and provide an opportunity for learning and reflection. The theme of this year’s conference is social inclusion.

Liz hopes that the conference will remind New Zealanders that our work isn’t just about influencing attitudes through anti-stigma campaigns.

“It’s about making practical changes in workplaces and communities so everyone can participate,” she says.

Mental Health Foundation Chief Executive Judi Clements (who is also a speaker at the conference) says she is delighted that Liz will be the keynote speaker at the conference.

“Liz is knowledgeable, well-informed, and an international leader in her field of disability rights. This field includes people with experience of mental illness,” says Ms Clements.
Other notable speakers at the conference are Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne, and Disability Rights Commissioner Paul Gibson.

The conference will be held at the Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland on May 2-3. Tickets are available here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5053914394/?ref=enivtefor001&utm_source=eb_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=inviteformalv2&utm_term=attend&ref=enivtefor001

ENDS

Liz Sayce biography

Liz Sayce has a long history of advocating for social inclusion for people with experience of mental illness. She spent eight years as Policy Director of Mind, and one year as a Harkness Fellow in the USA, studying the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act and related policy.

From 2000-2007 she was Director, Policy and Communications for the Disability Rights Commission where she led on creating a new Disability Agenda for policy for the next two decades. She also directed a Formal Investigation into physical health inequalities experienced by people with mental health problems and/or learning disabilities.

She was a member of the UK Government’s Disability Task Force, (1997-1999.)

With personal experience and knowledge of mental health issues, she has published widely on mental health, disability, and social inclusion, including From psychiatric patient to citizen (Macmillan-Palgrave 2000).

Liz was awarded an OBE in 2008 in recognition for services to disabled people.

The facts:

Discrimination and social exclusion continue to have a profound impact on the lives of many people with a diagnosis of mental illness.

Subjective experiences of discrimination (first survey 2010): in a survey of 1,135 consumers:

• The most common experiences of discrimination were with families, friends, and intimate relationships
• 54% thought there had been some improvement in discrimination in the last 5 years, and 16% thought it had got worse
• 57% reported hiding their mental illness from others moderately or a lot
• 37% stopped themselves having close relationships through anticipated discrimination
• 33% stopped themselves from applying for work through anticipated discrimination
• 24% stopped themselves from applying for educational courses through anticipated discrimination

Further information:

The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand is pleased to be organising the 2013 Like Minds, Like Mine National Provider Seminar on behalf of the Health Promotion Authority. The 2013 Seminar will be held from 2-3 May at Rendezvous Hotel in Auckland. For more information about the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and its role in the Like Minds, Like Mine programme visit: http://www.mentalhealth.org.nz

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