walking . is . overrated

Now, I’ve heard of some people tipping the poor odd soul out of their wheelchair in aid of a burglary or other such petty crime, but really, ramming your car into a dude in a wheelchair is taking it a bit far, isn’t it? Sure, he might’ve been a negative bugger, but hey, aren’t we […]

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I’m sure you’re all well aware of the tragic events which unfolded last week on the banks of a Turangi river, but what you might not have caught was that one of the students who died was Special Olympian Tom Hsu, 16, who had cerebral palsy. From what the media have reported, it seems the […]

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How’s this for a fantastic initiative? The NSW Govt has announced the ‘Companion Card‘, enabling disabled people to take a carer with them to sporting matches, movie theatres, and even aboard public transport for the price of a single ticket. So now whenever Aussies with disabilities are out and about and want to go to […]

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Consider this: you’re waiting to be picked for the NZ Paralympic team and training your arse off to show the selectors you’re ready, when someone nicks your car, containing all your training equipment. Well that’s just what happened to previous Paralympic medallist Matt Slade, when thieves stole his car, along with all the stuff in […]

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From the blog of Philip Patston…
www.200gr8.com
27 March 2008
Here’s an innovative idea…NOT
You bring around 800 of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs together to celebrate five years of excellence in social innovation. You call it the 2008 Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. You hold it at the prestigious Saîd Business School at Oxford University.
You hold the […]

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Are thousands of our lives set to change forever? Or will the status quo prevail? Whatever the outcome, you’ve gotta admire Melanie Trevethick’s tenacity in taking the MOH vs. ACC battle to the High Court in Wellington. The court case is set down for today and tomorrow.
Would I love to be entitled to the […]

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“Don’t worry, we won’t be removing your support, it’ll just take 3 weeks for you to get your notes from your notetakers from now on.”
That’s the message that disabled students are getting from the Manukau Institute of Technology, as they look to make budget cuts. As it is, the disability support office has had one […]

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Yeah yeah, this old chestnut. And to be honest, until the punishment for misusing a mobility parking spot is instant life imprisonment, this chestnut will likely remain a thorn in disabled people’s side forever. But it’s always nice to hear people providing a fresh and ‘real’ perspective on the issue. The North Shore Times have […]

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I’ve written about Ryan Leitch before, but for those of you who don’t recognise the name, he’s the 18 year-old Auckland boy who topped the world in the Cambridge Geography exam last year. He’s also got muscular atrophy, and I reckon he’s a real inspiration for young disabled people in this country. Yet despite this, […]

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“Where’s the money, bitch” is all a Paraparaumu woman heard from two teenagers who confronted her on Saturday, and who then damaged her brand new power chair. She had a poster on the back of her chair, advertising for Guide Dog Service volunteers, which she thinks may have led the attackers to believe she was […]

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