Update on the Save Disability Advisors Campaign

Update on the Save Disability Advisors Campaign

We are passing on this update from the campaign to retain specialist disability knowledge in Auckland Council to our networks. Auckland Disability Law supports this movement's efforts as specialist advisors are critical to ensuring disabled people can live good lives, have their voices heard, and live in a city that is responsive to their needs and wants. Please see their message below for more information. You can also download a template of a letter to send to Council to have your voice heard, and a poster about the upcoming lobby of council on 26 August.

Kia ora,

We are seeking your support as we call on Auckland Council to Save the Disability Advisors. Please join our campaign, and encourage your friends, colleagues and community networks to support us before it is too late. You can see more on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-Auckland-Council-Disability-Advisors/856488744405892

What can we do?

Join the lobby of Council:
The final decision on what will happen to the disability advisors will be made at the Chief Executives Review Committee on Wednesday 26 August at 9.30am, 135 Albert Street. Join the lobby from 9am and bring your friends and your banners. Poster attached.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1475216382777875/

Write to your local board and local councillor:
We attach a sample letter and a link to find the contact details of your local board. Local boards were expecting more resources, not fewer, and dozens of highly experienced staff have already been lost in the restructure process, so the whole process will affect the services available to local boards.

Please pass this on to your networks and let us know if you have any other ideas of how we can persuade Council to keep the Disability Advisors.

Background

As part of the Empowering Communities Approach, which aims to cut $1.6m from the Community Dvelopment budget, Auckland Council has disestablished the roles of the only two dedicated Disability Advisors for the whole of Council and the CCOs. These two Specialist Advisors, who are disabled people, are the link between Council, the CCOs and the disability community. Without them, disabled people will no longer have a dedicated point of contact, and Council, Local Boards and the CCOs will no longer have access to in-house specialist disability knowledge and expertise from 1 October 2015.

The manager responsible for the changes says that there will be someone holding a part time disability portfolio in the new structure, and someone in the design department. With disabled people making up almost one in four of the population, a figure that continues to increase as our population ages, it is impossible to imagine how the current workload of two busy full time specialists will be covered by one part time generalist position and someone working on a design manual.

Throughout the consultation process, disabled people have told Council to keep the disability advisors, and in particular to recognise the importance of retaining skilled disabled staff. The Mayor’s Disability Advisory Panel has passed three resolutions and made submissions and presentations calling for the disability advisors to be retained. Last month we handed in a petition with over 500 signatures. Despite this, Council has gone ahead with making the disability advisors redundant.

Thank you for your support!

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Save the Auckland Council Disability Advisors.
Sign our Petition and Like our Facebook page

ENDS

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