Access: Disability as a wicked policy problem
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Sacha, in reply to
The current system wastes resources hugely by assuming everyone is trying to rip them off.
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
Thank you Rosemary and Peter for re-reading this whole thread (which I must do too). I'm going to a seminar today about an inclusive New Zealand so I wonder if I will hear any new answers. I also heard someone high up but reflective say that disability support is actually mainly about income maintenance. So that UBI thing again.
And that awful assumption that people will rip the system off given half a chance is so untrue and disrespectful of disabled people and beneficiaries generally. They are just trying to survive on minimal money. We know which category of people is most likely to rip us all off and they rarely get any sanctions.
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I think it important to reflect and put a label on your statement Hilary, "We know which category of people is most likely...". My label says it is ignorance, stigma, and discrimination in the main that rips us all off. Part of the remedy is to inform and educate the public; and then allow the 20% of those who act and care to take the lead on disability matters.
Those who act and care exist within the full social and political spectrum, so that is where the collaboration needs to become more focused and replace the bursting seams with an efficient zip fastener. One day we might even be able to remove the zip fastener and be able to accept that to some degree we are all disabled and not able to match our dreams with reality. However with concerted effort there are many who can be assisted to close the yawning gap with positive drivers. Love being the most powerful, but backed up with determination and a good set of tools.
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Sacha, in reply to
Part of the remedy is to inform and educate the public
here is the Government's investment in that.
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All, the following contribution is intended to adjust perspectives in a positive way. Fifteen years of my career were spent working at one of NZ’s universities. It has wide ranging buildings from very old to new, cottages and high rise, totalling 165,000 square metres (circa 1998). The small group of general staff I worked with (around 50), and mainly comprised of trades people had the task to keep the place going on a day to day basis, and provide significant contribution to the outputs of architects, engineers and building contractors. The educators made constant demands for more and more buildings and associated services that usually exceeded available budgets, and especially the capacity of the team of people I worked with to take on the additional work and responsibilities. As the campus grew rapidly in size no additional staff were taken on.
About twenty five years ago the university was required to start providing wheelchair access to all its public buildings, which was a very big job to do. We groaned under the load, but got on with the task recognising that the basic need could not be disputed. I guess it was our contribution towards a worthwhile cause, as many extra hours of work and effort were contributed without overtime being paid, and often with our task masters being dissatisfied with results. It wasn’t just a matter of sawing wood and laying concrete, etc. Contracts, design, specifications and especially compliance around fire and health and safety arrangements had to be checked by those who could understand and appreciate their importance.
When I left the university (2000) much had been achieved, and it was gratifying to see people in wheelchairs moving in and out of buildings with books and papers on their knees, often with determined expressions on their faces and eyes wide open to new opportunities and challenges. To me these were the rewards of hard work and a job well done, by a small group of mainly trade’s people in a very large building complex equivalent in size to a small city.
Society now has a set of new minds ideally suited to helping other disabled people across their whole challenging spectrum, and I think this is a very important start to something that can grow and help to make the world a better place to live in for everyone.
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
recognising that the basic need could not be disputed.
More of a 'right' some would argue....
which, it would appear, is not a 'right' at all.
http://www.voxy.co.nz/politics/govt-decision-barrier-employment-disabled-people-ccs/5/226890
With a bit of prescience Tom, you and your colleagues could have stalled for a few years and been able to legally avoid the effort.
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You have a wonderfully positive outlook Tom, and it's great to think and act with positive expectations. Over the years of constant battles, penury and knock backs ones positive expectations of decision makers tend to go out the window. At the same time I know from experience ordinary folk are generally good hearted if often misguided. I don't think our major problem lies with the public, I think it lies mainly with power dissing us. That's what must change if disabled New Zealanders are to be properly integrated into our society
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Tom Adson, in reply to
Well in that case it one thing in life that I am glad I did not do, avoid the effort. It has helped to keep me strong.
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Like Fred Astaire said, with Ginger Rogers help, " You have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again." It's a continuous process and was their interpretation of a recovery plan.
As far as I know all new public buildings require wheelchair access, and it remains as a permanent requirement, unless your refs are saying otherwise?. I will try and read them.
Keeping positive is important, as that is where the energy comes from. Despite that we all need a bit of space for ourselves sometimes, and that is tops.
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Sacha, in reply to
Councils continue to sign off consents for non-complying new buildings.
However this law change is about the other leg, where owners of existing buildings are (were) expected to do their part by including access improvements in any renovation/upgrade works.
Beyond the exemptions and incompetent consenting, it’s a tiny extra cost that gradually improves the usefulness of all buildings people might use or visit. And it’s broader than wheelchairs, despite what the CCS story linked above says.
Traded off now because of our ongoing inability to influence political decisions against lobbying by property investors.
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Angela Hart, in reply to
Traded off now because of our ongoing inability to influence political decisions against lobbying by property investors.
Is it a done deal do you think?
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Rosemary, I have referred to your refs and your comments are valid, however I’ll attempt to maintain a positive spin.
The earthquake was terrible and created exceptional circumstances beyond our control, especially in the area of architecture and engineering. My contention is that many existing buildings have exceeded their economic life, not just in Christchurch but throughout NZ (and around the world actually). With a few exceptions they should be subjected to the bulldozer effect, and in that way new buildings would not only accommodate the needs of the working disabled, but the general needs of our mother Earth too in relation to the environment, energy efficiency, clean water and increased food supply, and climate change, etc.
Wise and responsible investment is needed to make advancements that benefit society as a whole. The Govt must ensure this happens. The subject here is buildings, but I would like to include footpaths as well.
About a month ago I was nearly ran down by an old fella’ and his pet poodle sitting in the leg space of his ‘go-go-like-hell-mobile’. He was hooning along on the footpath at about 10kms/hr, I was walking at about 3kms/hr. The freedom of speed seemed to turn the disabled racer into a different kind of animal hell bent on destruction of his piers...old folks like me. I could barely hop out of his way. It scared the wits out of me, so perhaps we should now get cars off the city roads and hand them back to people. Perhaps that is a human right that is currently being ignored? Cars have rights, but we don't. I hope I have made you smile, as that is my intention? The philosophy of a survivor is to recognise that a sense of humour is essential.
Personally I am a renaissance man. Let’s put our effort into things that are purpose built around all the needs of modern living. Propping up the old and inappropriate does not make sense... for anyone. However if some people insist on putting money into sows ears there is little we can do to stop them, especially under exceptional circumstances.
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Sacha, in reply to
Does it look like a vote-winner? :)
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Building new, rather than the application of vinegar and brown paper generates jobs that are suited to future building techniques and technologies that can be based on environmental needs. Generally much more industry knowledge and positive experience is built up derived from building new too, whereas patching up the old leads to unforeseen costs and expenditure, and above all frustration and negativity.
However care has to be taken to ensure quality standards are maintained by good inspection that avoids cowboy escapades and 'leaky building' outcomes.
The same principles apply to the Social Sciences and Health industries. Quality is vital, but in order to achieve this it requires extra effort applied to detail along with adequate testing and tuning. Eventually things can click into place and the outputs hoped for can be achieved. Patience is important, but so is vigilance by those who need to be served, and their task is to keep the process moving by keeping up the critique and sprinkling salt on the tail. Don't give up!
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
Patience is important, but so is vigilance by those who need to be served, and their task is to keep the process moving by keeping up the critique and sprinkling salt on the tail. Don’t give up!
Last year Peter and I attended a working bee organised by a club we are members of. We were doing some groundwork on a newly acquired property, one of a number the club has, to make it more user friendly for the members. Peter beetled around the worksite in his wheelchair, dispensing positive reinforcement while I tried to do both our share of the grunt work.
There was morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Peter was (we thought) conspicuous as the only wheelchair user....although the club does have a number of mobility impaired members as our demographic tends towards the older age group.
We visited the newly opened property some months later, on our travels. Very nice and tidy, with a lovely shed as a gathering and happy hour room.
The shed, newly built and permitted, was in no way shape or form accessible.
A similar issue with another of our club's properties....there is an excellently accessible DOC track next door....but no one had thought to make any of the entrances between the properties accessible.....to any one without rappelling gear.
And, yes. Being pro active, we did remonstrate, with all the grace and dignity we could muster. We even flicked them a copy of The NZ Standard. Apologies were made. Excuses were made.
One gets tired, Tom.
Most ABs don't see those with mobility issues. We have observed that some 70% of ABs literally choose not to see someone with obvious disability.
And we get around a lot.
Peter had an incident in the main street in Kaitaia. The footpaths in the main street are wheelchair heaven, so Peter often goes off on his own as he can get around without my help.
He was slowly ( and I mean slowly) negotiating a group of yoof lounging around a coffee shop when one deliberately stuck out his leg so Peter had no option to run into it. No speed and no injury...but what a fuss.
The little arsehole came close to putting my man off exercising the little amount of independence his disability and our built environment allows him.
No, we won't give up...but we are getting a little less tolerant of ignorance....
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Rosemary, thanks for the enlightenment to help fill my void of ignorance. I know Peter now a little more than I did. He now has some form and presence, and one might hope that the hound that stuck out his leg went broke. Was the hound recruited for work on the property you speak of and subjected to some positive community reinforcement? I hope so!
The property you worked on sounds as though it was a very good investment. An example of what can be achieved with hard work and cooperation, and not everything focused on money.
I am not quite sure what AB's are, other than All Blacks. Some All Blacks would be supportive of our goals, and others may not have reached the appropriate level of maturity. Their frontal cortex's may require a little more growth.
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
AB....Able Bodied
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Tom Adson, in reply to
The shed, newly built and permitted, was in no way shape or form accessible.
Sorry! I might have misunderstood. I don't know the full story of course, but it is a shame that your input did not produce what I assume you had hoped for and I can understand any disappointment. I assume you pointed out how you felt and why, so what was the response to that?
I must admit DOC properties, and I have used a few did not sit within my frame of reference. Occasionally the huts I used had visitor groups that included people with disabilities, but none of them were in wheel chairs. It would be good if somehow, somewhere ways could be invented to ensure wheelchair users could experience and enjoy the natural world that NZ has to offer. Such activity can be quite inspiring and provocative in a very positive way.
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Interesting sector briefing (policy paper) from the providers' body the NZDSN
http://www.nzdsn.org.nz/Blogs/477/60/important-nzdsn-sector-briefing-now-available/
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
Thanks Hilary...i will try and push aside my prejudice and give it a proper read later..(when my barbed wire filled sinuses clear a bit).
BUT, having gone to that do in Auckland last week, and heard that IF will potentially lead to low pay and worker insecurity...I zoomed to that section of this document.
NZDSN do not like IF, and I'm pretty sure they have spread the impression that it is bad for the worker. Low pay, no security.
GREAT, that at that meeting, IF users spoke loud and clear about being able to pay $18-20 per hour for the right staff.
My second point would be, FWIW, is how about NZDSN members make it easy for us plebs to access their financial reports...so we can be more sympathetic to their constant cry that worker demands for higher pay will need more "investment' by government. Profits/operating surplus figures should be readily available. A quick skim of the "charities"....they're doing alright thank you very much.
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The latest in the saga of Nathan's death in the 'care' of Idea Services.
While I struggle to have much sympathy for this woman...I am concerned as to whether she has proper legal representation...and who is paying for that.
From this report...http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/67213437/Nathan-Bookers-death-totally-preventable-says-judge
It would appear that there was "deficiencies in staff training and uncertainty around procedures and policies as the root causes of Nathan's death. "
There were two staff on duty caring for six clients....some with very high needs.
It appears that Nathan drowned while both carers were trying to manage the behaviour of another client.
I am pretty sure that Idea Services will argue that there was not enough 'investment' from MOH:DSS to employ extra staff...even if only to cover the bath and bed period.
Now, Idea Services Income/Expenditure chat makes interesting reading.
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Sacha, in reply to
IHC's newsletter tells me the Think Differently funding ceased on 30 June. Wonder what their $5m over 5 years achieved?
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Rosemary McDonald, in reply to
Think Differently 2014 Year in Review (Accessible Version for Web) (1).doc
Wonder what their $5m over 5 years achieved?
???? But they did a couple of reviews....
I guess you'd have to ask someone previously 'blind' to difference if their opinions/impressions/perspectives had changed after being exposed to the campaign.
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Hilary Stace, in reply to
Think Differently did contribute to a great range of projects over the 5 years the fund was in place. Was a rare opportunity for some 'blue skies' funding and numerous groups and individuals applied. Not sure whether they changed anybody's mind but I'm sure the projects were valuable for the participants. One project partially funded by Think Differently was the Wellington play Wake Up Tomorrow by Active, the Idea Services group for young people with ID. It was brilliant and creative and won the best play of the Fringe Festival and best FF actor this year. Showed they could compete on the same terms as others, given the opportunity and funding. There is no other fund like it and it is so sad it has gone.
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Sacha, in reply to
Not sure whether they changed anybody's mind but I'm sure the projects were valuable for the participants.
Which is not a valid sucess measure in my eyes.
Think Differently seemed to be merely substituting for withdrawn MSD/DIA local community group funding rather than aiming for nationwide changes in attitude or behaviour. The process was interesting to behold.
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