8. DARREN HUGHES (Labour—Otaki) Link to this
to the Minister for Disability Issues
What reports, if any, has she received recently of progress on the New Zealand Disability Strategy?
Hon RUTH DYSON (Minister for Disability Issues) Link to this
I have seen a report on the recent closure of the last institution for disabled people, the Kimberley Centre at Levin, and I was honoured to be part of a major celebration to mark this occasion at Parliament today. The celebration included many former residents of our 13 institutions. Deinstitutionalisation is about ensuring that disabled people can live in their communities and do the day-to-day things that most of us take for granted, which is a key aim of the Disability Strategy. The closing of the last institution is not only a historic milestone for disabled people but also a mark of our maturity and progress as a nation.
Has the Minister received any other reports concerning any potential obstacles to progress on our New Zealand Disability Strategy?
Actually, I have. I have seen a recent report that advocates backward-thinking arrangements for employing disabled people. It comes, not surprisingly, from the National Party, and I note that the Disabled Persons Assembly has issued a media statement calling the National Party statement outdated and out of touch. I can only really strongly agree with the assembly.
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
Why did the Government fail to find suitable accommodation for people such as David Stephens in the North Island, close to where his relatives had explicitly requested he be sent, but instead send him to Dunedin, leading his mother to say of the process of deinstitutionalisation: “I was shocked and angered but am now devastated by the decision and the way it was handled.”?
Unlike that member, I will not breach Mr Stephens’ privacy by disclosing his wishes about where he wanted to live. But I can assure that member and the House that despite the member’s protestations, Mr Stephens is in a home where he feels secure, is safe, and is participating in the community. Not only that; he is very nearby to relatives who will actually visit him.
Dr Paul Hutchison Link to this
I seek leave to table two documents. The first is from a Listener dated October 2006, and quotes Mrs Stephens saying: “We feel like we’ve been bullied. We’re just stunned. We don’t know what we can do now.”
Madam SPEAKERDr Paul Hutchison Link to this
I seek leave to table a letter from David Stephen’s sister, Sarah Nelson, dated 30 October 2006, that states: “David and others like him need a facility in the North Island in order to provide safe, secure, professional long-term care. The family was excluded from any court hearings.”