Disability Policy adopted

Date:

May 7, 2018

A new policy will guide a range of actions to remove barriers to participation for disabled people living in or visiting our community. 

The Disability Policy was adopted by the Queenstown Lakes District Council at its May meeting, formalising eight measurable goals to create a more inclusive and enabling community.

QLDC community and events facilitator Marie Day said that while the Council had always adopted a best practice approach, creating a formal policy means its goals and actions need to be formally considered and integrated into all Council work programmes. 

“All people in our community have a right to access, equity of opportunity and to participate in the decisions that affect them.  This policy holds us to account to ensure that we’re taking the time to recognise the diverse needs of disabled people as an integral part of our wider community.”

Disabled people make up 26% of the population of Otago and Southland*, which is higher than the national average.

“We want to acknowledge the contribution disabled people can and do make to the cultural, social and economic life of our community and support the development of genuinely inclusive environments where people can participate and contribute an on equal basis.”

The Disability Policy is available now at www.qldc.govt.nz/policies and will soon by supported by an Easy Read version.

“Through our conversations with the community on the draft policy it became clear that its current format was in itself providing barriers to participation.  We will address this by creating an ‘easy read’ version of the policy, using language and images to present the information in a format that can be more easily understood by those with learning disabilities,” Ms Day said.

The easy read version will be available at www.qldc.govt.nz later this month. 

ENDS

Direct link to the policy:  https://www.qldc.govt.nz/assets/Uploads/FINAL-Disability-Policy-May-2018.pdf

For more information please contact the QLDC communications department communications@qldc.govt.nz or 03 441 0499.

*Source:  Statistics New Zealand Disability Survey; 2013.