Kia ora tatou,
Hello to all of us,
Yesterday I returned from Fiji after ten days on a Bridge Training Programme for the links between the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) matching to the global Sustainable Development Goals.
What does this mean for you and me?
It is about realising our rights as disabled people in Aotearoa NZ and the mechanisms that can support our aspirations to lead the best life we can. Our government ratified the CRPD in 2008. This means they must support us and we can ask them to do that.
An easy way to explain the difference between equality and equity is that equality means we all get the same and are treated the same, but that doesn’t work for our differing needs. Equity is ensuring that everyone has the same opportunity to enjoy their rights and this may mean different approaches for our individual needs. One example is that everyone can go to a meeting for local council and that is equality. Equity is that a microphone is used to make it clearer for hearing impaired and that PowerPoint presentations are described for those of us who can’t see them and provided in advance or afterwards for our reference.
Equality then means all New Zealanders are treated in the same way but do not necessarily experience equity because of our individual sensory, cultural, and gender needs etc. The point here is that we understand we have a right to ask for what we want and people behind us that are obliged to ensure we get it. Next week I will write about Reasonable Adjustment to that.
Here are some images that have alt text that may make this a little clearer.
Caption: Equality. Image shows the back view of three children behind a solid fence trying to see the football game in the stadium beyond. Each is on a wooden box, all of the same height. There is a tall boy standing on a box who can easily see over the fence, a smaller girl standing on a box who can just see over the fence by pulling herself up on tiptoes, and a child sitting in a wheelchair next to a wooden box who can only see the fence in front of them.
Caption: Equity. Image shows the back view of the same three children behind the fence. The tall boy does not have a box but can still easily see over the fence. The smaller girl is standing on two boxes which have been stacked so that she is a little higher than the tall boy. Her head is slightly to the side showing she is wearing glasses. A ramp has been provided to the child in the wheelchair. It is higher than the two boxes and means that the child is at a similar height to the tall boy. They can all easily see over the fence in front of them. Two of the children have their left arm raised to cheer and there is a rainbow visible over the back of the stadium.
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Alternate formats Registration of Interest for Public Apology Crown response to the Abuse in Care Inquiry
From the blinddiscuss list.
On the 12th of November, the Prime Minister will deliver a public apology in Parliament to survivors of abuse in care.
You can register your interest to attend the event in Parliament, or events in Auckland Wellington or Christchurch.
Accommodation, travel and food costs will be covered.
Please register your interest in attending Parliament or an event closest to where you live by contacting the Crown Response Unit at:
Registration closes 4.30pm Monday 30 September.
Alternate formats below.
Information on TellMe can be found at option 579.
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Events
Audio Described Auckland Bradley Lane Street Art Tour, 21 September
From Audio Described Aotearoa.
Join us for another exciting audio described street art tour in Glen Innes, where we will explore over 40 outdoor murals painted during Bradley Lane Project, Auckland’s longest mural festival, and the latest art exhibition at The Good The Bad. The tour is led alongside Street Artearoa and is sponsored by TGTB Charitable Trust with funding from Lottery Community Grants.
When: Saturday, 21 September, 12:30pm to 2:00pm.
Meeting point: Outside Glen Innes Library, 108 Line Road, Glen Innes.
End point: The Good The Bad, 11 Mayfair Place, Glen Innes.
Tickets: This tour is free to attend. There is a maximum of 10 spaces available on this tour.
To book: Phone or text Nicola at Audio Described Aotearoa on 0210358513 or email audiodescribedaotearoa@gmail.com.
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Save the Date – WBU General Assembly & World Blindness Summit 2025 in São Paulo, Brazil
From the World Blind Union.
Date: 2-5 September 2025, with committee meetings and special forums on 1 September.
Location: Holiday Inn Parque Anhembi, Rua Professor Milton Rodrigues, 100 – Parque Anhembi, 02009-030 São Paulo – SP, Brazil.
Join blind and partially sighted leaders from around the globe for this landmark event. The summit will offer a multilingual experience, opportunities for international networking, and crucial discussions on advocacy, accessibility, and leadership.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months for further details on the program and registration.
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Other newsletters
Disabled Person’s Assembly (DPA) Information Exchange: 18 September 2024
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MSD’s Family Violence and Sexual Violence Update: September 2024
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The D*List
The D*List website is an online culture magazine that creates space for disabled people to tell their own stories through features, columns and news reporting. This week, they talk about finding hope amongst the scary, and where to watch authentic disability representation on television.
Link to weekly update below.
The D*List Delivered (Substack)
Following is a link to have a browse of The D*List website or sign up to receive their weekly newsletter.
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Be Seen be Heard be Connected Weekly Update
Please note, access to our weekly be Seen Be Heard Be Connected emails is also available on our website via our events page, at the following link.
News and events (Deafblind Association New Zealand)
Ngā mihi mahana,
Warm regards,
Amanda
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Event reminders
Peer-to-peer gatherings
- Whakatū / Nelson: to be confirmed.
- Taranaki / New Plymouth: to be confirmed.
- Kirikiriroa / Hamilton: mid-October.
- Te Papa-i-Oea / Palmerston North: mid-October.
- Kāpiti: mid-October.
- Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington region: mid-October
- Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland: we now have a venue – please let us know if you are interested.
Please contact us if you are interested in attending any of these events by replying to this email or calling Amanda on 0800 450 650.
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THE BLIND SEA
“THE BLIND SEA is an inspirational and breathtaking documentary about Australian Matt Formston, Paralympian and 4x World Champion blind surfer.”
There are screenings happening in September in Dunedin and Auckland.
Screening details for THE BLIND SEA (Rialto Cinemas)
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Audio described NZ Opera Rigoletto
25 September 2024, Auckland.
- 25 September: Braille and low-vision accessible surtitles and description available.
Details in the 25 August 2024 update
More details about Rigoletto (NZ Opera)
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Thursday 3 October Deafblind UK Online Conference 2024
Theme: “Standing out and fitting in”. The conference is free and all are welcome.
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Audio Described Centauria Taranaki Garden Festival
An audio described garden tour for people with low vision. Our professional audio describers will be there to guide you through our wonderful festival gardens. The bus tour, supported by Weir Tours, is a half-day outing, with a morning tea stop on the way.
When: Tuesday 5 November 2024, 9:00am.
More details, and how to book, were provided in the 13 September 2024 update
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Blind Health Expo 2024
Friday 6 December 2024.
10 am to 4 pm Eastern Time.
Join us for the 3rd annual Blind Health Expo! The Blind Health Expo is the world’s largest virtual expo of healthcare information, products, and services for individuals, organizations, and companies in the health, blindness, and disability communities.
Free to attend and / or exhibit.
More information aabout the Blind Health Expo 2024
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DbI Asian Regional Conference Pokhara Nepal
1st to 3rd March 2025.
Deafblind International Notice of Asian Conference 2025
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Pac Rim 2025: disability-related conference opportunity
The conference is hosted in Hawaii and it’s their 40th year anniversary.
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2024 Audio Described Nationwide Events Booklet
The events list with booklet page numbers was provided in the 23 February update.
The full calendar is available as a word document via the following link.
2024 Events Information (DOCX 60 KB)
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Feedback requested reminders
National Housing Survey
The Urban Advisory longitudinal study so there is no foreseeable closing date. The survey asks how people make their housing choices and what they want to see happen with housing in the future, with the intention of helping New Zealand better respond to housing needs and demand.
Completed surveys are eligible for entry into a quarterly prize draw to win a $200 Prezzy Card. It is an online survey through Qualtrics and is expected to take less than 30 minutes to complete.
The website link below includes Frequently Asked Questions, an info pack and a contact email address.
New Zealand’s Housing Survey (The Urban Advisory)
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Public library use and accessibility
Blind Low Vision NZ Client Training and Engagement Senior Advisor Tom Smith asks: “Is there anybody willing to be interviewed about their use of public library services and accessibility?”
Details were provided in 14 June update, or email Tom.
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Ongoing events
No Labels on Wellington Access Radio
You can listen to this edition of the show on Wellington Access Radio on Tuesday just after 1:00pm, or the following Tuesday at the same time.
If you miss the scheduled show, you can check it out later online at the link below.
No Labels (Wellington Access Radio)
Or you can subscribe to the show via your preferred podcast player to check out this episode or previous episodes of the show.
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Living Blindfully
Weekly show hosted by Jonathan Mosen
Living Blindfully audio episodes (Living Blindfully)
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Blind Spot, Radio Southland
Monthly show hosted by Carolyn Weston
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Entertainment with Able
Able is a not-for-profit organisation working towards a more inclusive Aotearoa, believing everyone should be able to access news, entertainment and culture. Funded by NZ On Air, they’re Aotearoa’s leading provider of media access services, including captioning services, subtitling and audio description.
Listings are available at the following browser links.
A link to Able’s website to subscribe to the weekly newsletter with listings and picks of the week follows.
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Deafblind Association New Zealand access to TellMe
See TellMe numbers for your area
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End of report and this week’s update.
Amanda Stevens
Executive Officer
Taringa Turi Kāpō Rōpū
Deafblind Association New Zealand
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