It certainly doesn’t appear so.

Let me detail the gross under-representation of disability issues on the campaign trail so far:

• Public meetings held at inaccessible venues (read: heaps of stairs)
• No mention of disability in any of the main candidates manifestos/policies
• No reassurance that current disability advocate roles within council will exist under the new Auckland Council

Quite simply, disability isn’t on the agenda. And given that the Rugby World Cup is just around the corner, not only is it an embarrassing omission by the mayoral candidates, it’s also downright stupid. You can expect many of the visitors to our shores next year will use a mobility aid of some kind, whether it be a wheelchair, cane, or even glasses. And don’t forget they’ll be bringing family and friends with them, so by ignoring accessibility issues (let alone making them a priority!) a huge economic opportunity is being wasted.

Horrifying news coming out of Indonesia. From the NZ Herald: New traffic laws passed in Indonesia require disabled pedestrians to wear signs identifying them as handicapped. AFP reports that amendments to local Traffic and Transport Law says “handicapped pedestrians must wear special and clear signs which can be easily recognised by other road users.” Politician Ahman Muqowam told the news agency that the laws were designed to protect disabled people. “This is a humanistic act. It’s for their safety on

Apologies for not posting this sooner – some of you may have liked to be involved? Hopefully you are anyway. For updates on the Hikoi’s progress, check out The NZ Herald or search Twitter. CCS Disability Action Northern Region will join the hikoi/march on Monday 25 May in support of IHI Action Group (Iwi Have Influence). This action group is leading the opposition to the establishment of Auckland Super City without reserved Maori seats as proposed by the Royal Commission

And you thought it was just those crazy poms who want to stop those with disabilities having babies – oh no, it’s happening right here on our front doorstep, too. An intellectually disabled woman, pregnant for the third time in as many years, is “incapable of looking after herself, let alone a baby”, according to the woman’s ‘Aunty’ (not blood-related), and should be sterilised. The BOP Times are reporting that she is currently living on the streets of Auckland, which

Dig your teeth into this one folks, coz it’s juicy. The BBC is reporting that mother of 15-year old Katie Thorpe, who lives in Essex, England, wants her daughter to have a hysterectomy in order to “improve her quality of life”. Katie has quite severe cerebral palsy, and is unable to communicate verbally, which, her mother believes, could make life very embarrassing once she began menstruating. If it goes ahead, it would be the first time a voluntary hysterectomy has