Public Address | Cafe | Access: I Can’t See You, But You Should See Me

BDB Inc

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 15:56:57 +1200

Direct healthcare provision is better, ACC abuse many sensitive injury claimants. Why the govt call rape or sexual abuse an accident goes beyond my understanding.

No people needing help/assistance should have to go through a corporation for healthcare or needs.
No barriers should be there. "Help" even costs more going…

BDB Inc

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 14:46:07 +1200

Just need to point out that most disabled ACC claimants get removed from ACC books and are MOH.
The humiliation , pain and suffering ACC bestow on it's disabled claimant's before it turfs them to MOH is exceptional. Please don't separate people into born disabled and disabled from an accident/…

Angela Hart

Sun, 27 Apr 2014 12:58:02 +1200

Ah, I had a look at this site. It lists all the recipients of funding since establishment and gives details of the schemes. Apart from the courses aimed at encouraging people with disabilities to interact with the media, I didn't notice much emphasis on that particular goal- getting disabled people…

Sacha

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 18:52:41 +1200

How can we get disabled people better represented in the mainstream media?

After years of lobbying, there's a $1,000,000 per year government investment in exactly that. Perhaps we could ask them to do a guest post to explain how they've chosen to invest that money on behalf of all New…

Sacha

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 18:47:04 +1200

don't want to risk the blind having this concession removed

Totally.

Angela Hart

Fri, 25 Apr 2014 17:05:12 +1200

Many of us do know and feel under-appreciated but don't want to risk the blind having this concession removed. Most disabled people face higher costs of living which are not covered by the disability allowance, but just have to get on with it.

The same problem exists with the discrepancies…

Sacha

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 14:35:01 +1200

Firstly, great to see you here. Hope all is going well.

Most people don't know that the separate Act of parliament governing the Foundation of the Blind means its members are allowed to keep receiving income support payments even if they work – unlike all other disabled people.

When the…

oga

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:56:24 +1200

Whenever Blind are discussed in the NZ disability sector, I cannot help but be a little irritated when the subject of means-testing the blind is not mentioned. Blind are the only disability group in New Zealand to my knowledge to be able to earn a high salary AND receive a…

Sacha

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:23:33 +1200

People with disabilities, and their family and friends make up a sizeable chunk of the population

Funny you should say that – see my latest post.

Adrian Coysh

Tue, 22 Apr 2014 16:20:17 +1200

Apologies for delayed response, like most of Auckland I went away for the Easter weekend. Thanks to Sacha and Russell for their comments (and the link Sacha, nice to have a techno person backing me up). I will write something about the event and the key points raised. Basically we…

Jonathan Mosen

Mon, 21 Apr 2014 05:41:27 +1200

Agreed, I don't think we have a shortage of media-savvy disabled people. We have a press with almost no interest in ensuring our voices are heard and issues given appropriate coverage.

Sacha

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 12:07:16 +1200

Seems to be addressing the wrong end of the problem, frankly. Unless producers and editors believe disability is worth covering, training disability organisations and people won't make much difference.

Brent Jackson

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 11:17:50 +1200

Note that Think Differently has some spaces available on 29th April in Christchurch for a free media training workshop "to make better use of the media to change attitudes and behaviour towards disabled people". (Also 4th June in Wellington).

Brent Jackson

Sat, 19 Apr 2014 11:13:22 +1200

I think your link should be this. You need the "http://" on the front of the website address.

Kumara Republic

Fri, 18 Apr 2014 00:05:33 +1200

Roll on public service broadcasting.

And now everyone can chip in.

Myles Thomas

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 22:33:23 +1200

Roll on public service broadcasting.

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 19:15:23 +1200

He’s had a bloody hard time of it by the looks of it but has come through it like a champ.

I read that and marvelled that anyone could be that well-adjusted. Great story.

Yamis

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 19:01:18 +1200

I thought the article on Adam Pearson in the Guardian a few days ago was really interesting. He suffers from neurofibromatosis and played a part in a movie called Under the Skin. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/apr/13/scarlett-johansson-screen-stigma-disfigurement He's had a bloody hard time of it by the looks of it but has come through…

Pete B

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 18:58:41 +1200

Hi there Jonathan. Pete here from the good old Delphi days. Can you remember that far back? Just one thing you may not have caught up with yet. World being small, I ended up being married to someone that used to assist you personally in the past, especially in Invercargill…

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 18:52:30 +1200

Cheers, Ross. There’s so much to learn about disability that I’m amazed media producers don’t see it as rich ground for stories. Really doesn’t make sense.

What we have seen is increased visibility of disability in screen drama. The autistic-savant trope can be shallow, but programmes like Bones and The…

WaterDragon

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:43:18 +1200

Yes, Jonathan, indeed, it would be good to have substantive conversations on important issues of disability that affect us. Seems to me those "Why? " questions are the least well-answered of the questions about disability. Perhaps they're ultimately unanswerable.

Sacha

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:15:01 +1200

Cheers, Ross. There's so much to learn about disability that I'm amazed media producers don't see it as rich ground for stories. Really doesn't make sense.

Sacha

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 17:13:52 +1200

Thanks Adrian. Direct link to the event here:
http://www.hrinz.org.nz/tools/events/details.aspx?SECT=Auckland&ID=12359

Not making any promises given my energy levels by that end of the day but I hope it goes well. Thank you for setting up that group.

Ross Mason

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:49:32 +1200

I'm blind to a shitload of disability issues even though I have been involved with Paralympics.
I hope, no, I want, these posts to open my eyes a whole lot more.

It's been a great start!

Jonathan Mosen

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:25:16 +1200

Cheers Adrian, I'd certainly love to attend if there were a work-related excuse to leave the capital. I hope the event goes well, it sounds like an excellent initiative.

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:06:30 +1200

I am on the Auckland Branch Committee of HRINZ, the professional body of HR people. I have just set up a new special interest group focused on Diversity and our first event is on May 1st, discussing Disability Employment.

Damn. I already have two things on on May 1. Perhaps…

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 16:03:28 +1200

Nice meeting you recently, Adrian — thanks for coming here.

Adrian Coysh

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 15:01:19 +1200

Thank you Jonathan. I have three children with Retinitis Pigmentosa, and could potentially all go blind. I am also in the recruitment business and Diversity is a buzz word for HR people, but they generally do not look beyond gender and ethnicity. Disability is just too hard and is largely…

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:42:16 +1200

Thank you Jonathan. Our lack of a place in important conversations has long frustrated me. Like you I have freely offered the expertise I have built to media editors and producers who simply don’t bother engaging.

And I've seen you do so politely and in an appropriate context, and get…

Sacha

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:35:20 +1200

I look forward to weaving some of our stories and understandings together here and…

Russell Brown

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:31:42 +1200

Indeed I initiated some dialogue with the Editor of the New Zealand Herald, or at least attempted to, last year. My offer to write some pieces on disability issues apparently didn’t even warrant a reply, despite similar pieces being published in other countries.

Well, I'm delighted to have you here.

Public Address

Thu, 17 Apr 2014 14:31:42 +1200

Discussion from blog post.