Posts by Hilary Stace
Last ←Newer Page 1 2 3 4 5 Older→ First
-
I think it's more about fear. It is much easier to deny something than take responsibility for the problem and therefore also for fixing it. So much easier to deny climate change or blame something or someone else, than to face up to the huge changes to our habits, lifestyles and government policies that are required urgently to save the planet.
-
Part of the reason why Henry is getting served over this now is a maturity of belonging and politics where the people he is demeaning and their associates are ready to say it's not ok.
That's right Sacha. Explains why, for the first time, there was some mainstream media coverage of the Special Olympics national games last week. The opening ceremony was apparently a huge celebratory event attended by several MPs (but, unfortunately, no one from the Government).
-
What happened to textes?
-
The Vision Education Centre is apparently the name of the Auckland residential special school otherwise known as Homai. Seems a strange name to me but if it came out of the community concerned who is anyone else to criticise?
I am still uneasy about residential special schools, especially impairment specific ones, because their history is rooted in eugenic education and welfare policies of the late 19th century. For example from 1901 NZ parents were legally required to send their deaf or hearing impaired students to the Sumner School for the Deaf to be taught oralism (and punished for any use of Sign Language). The students were only allowed home at Christmas until PM Peter Fraser changed the law to allow them more holidays.
Thanks for the FWD link Deborah. Makes fun of the PWD (people with disabilities) acronym that disabled people have been reduced to in international policy speak.
-
'In-valid' Benefit has long been a concern for the sector. Some had graduated from the Handicapped Child's Allowance. That is now called the Child Disability Allowance and the In-valid's Benefit could easily be renamed the Disability Benefit.
Whatever the name, young people whose parents get the Child Disability Allowance (and those with any sort of impairment label should have been getting this since diagnosis as hopefully someone told them about it) should receive a letter from Work and Income when they are 16, telling them they are eligible to go on the IB in their own right (and then the parents no longer get the allowance). It requires some evidence of impairment, such as an IEP or doctor's certificate, but it no longer (since about 2 years ago) needs annual renewal. And it is not means tested. At 18 it should go up to the adult rate, regardless of whether the young adult is still at school. It is not of course enough to live independently and also have any disposable income, but it is still an important right. It also means a Community Services card to get discounts at pools etc and gets the young person on the books of supported employment agencies like Workbridge, or access to other programmes.
But it seems some Work and Income regions are better than others at making sure those who are eligible know about it.
(Some of my details might not be up to date but someone out there will know the correct info.)
-
My son has just come back from the Special Olympics national games in Palmerston North with several medals for swimming.
He's not retarded or mentally defective and he's not an imbecile or an idiot. However, all of these words have been used by policy people in the past to label people like him and thus deny them their humanity.
-
I'm so pleased we are back to eczema again. Ben, I'm a recent fan of cetomacrogol (a cooling lotion) which you can buy cheaply from any chemist in big pots. Unfortunately, you can't put it in your eyes. That itching can feel like gorse pushing out of your eyesockets.
-
Just some clarification - the chair of the RB, ie head of the governance board (called the Board of Directors), is Arthur Grimes, rock musician and economist. Our book group was held at his house. Mr Bollard is the Governor which means the chief executive, an employee and not part of the governance structure. A university colleague of mine is another member of the Board of Directors. Don Abel (who spoke at the launch) is an Assistant Governor (ie one of AB's deputies). The person with the title, Deputy Governor, is someone I went to school with.
This all makes sense to Wellingtonians.
And they all seem to have good senses of humour. -
Took the Reserve Bank annual to my book group on Wednesday night. Quite a bit of interest there and someone suggested it was like Mad magazine for intellectuals. Left it for the host to read when she has more time, as she enjoyed her quick look at it. She thought her husband might like it too - he's the chair of the RB.
-
I wonder if the tax men considered those grandparents parenting their grandchildren, or the various other financial burdens grandparents have? The tax group didn't seem terrifically representative of the diversity of NZ's population.