New report on wellbeing of disabled people and their families underlines need for urgent change

An alarming new report reinforces the need for the Government to take urgent and significant action to improve the lives of thousands of disabled people and their families, says the New Zealand Disability Support Network.

NZ Disability Support Network CEO Dr Garth Bennie today welcomed the State of wellbeing and equality of disabled people, their families and whanau report by CCS Disability Action.

“This is further hard and shocking evidence across various wellbeing measures that disabled people and their families are struggling to get by,” said Dr Bennie. “For example, the report shows households with disabled children are between 1.4 and 1.6 times more likely to be below all three poverty thresholds than households that only had non-disabled children.

“This situation can’t go on like this if the Government is really serious about the wellbeing of all New Zealanders. The report reveals a level of systemic inequality, discrimination and injustice that is unprecedented in scale.

“We made it clear in our Sector Briefing 2020 - Enabling Good Lives Sooner Rather Than Later last month that substantial change to the way the sector is funded to provide services for disabled people and their families is urgent and overdue.

“This would really help so many people who are living with the material hardship this latest report has shown. Piecemeal funding changes in recent years have been a band aid to a system which is simply failing people.

“Budget 2020 must address this as a priority. We appreciate the Government has to balance many competing needs – thousands of disabled people, their families and the organisations providing services need to be a top priority.

“We hope the Government hears this mounting chorus of concern and delivers the real change that is so urgently needed.”

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