Brought to my attention by Barbz over in our forums, it was quite startling to discover a law change coming into effect later this year which may force some sheltered workshops to close. The Disabled Persons Employment Promotion Act, which allowed employers to create tailored working conditions for disabled people, will be repealed in December, forcing some of those who employ disabled people, particularly those working in the IHC workshops, to provide them the same minimum wage and holiday rights

Figures released today by Statistics New Zealand and reported by nzcity.co.nz show that over 600,000, or around 14% of New Zealanders have some sort of disability. These figures include specifics such as: Over 166,000 New Zealand adults have a disability which has been caused by an accident or injury 10% of children are considered disabled Two-thirds of those over the age of 15 who have a disability have a physical impairment Most interestingly, the report says that 45% of adults

I know I’m running on a bit of an Australian angle today, but I gotta admit, they’re leading the way… In Sydney over the weekend, a new political party – “The Carers Alliance Party” – was established by parents of children with a disability. They’re aiming to increase awareness within government about the struggles that carers, and in particular carers who are family members, face in looking after those they love. They’re campaigning for better support services (or in some