Celebrating empowerment, inclusion and equality for disabled people
30 November 2018.
Monday 3 December is International Day of People with Disabilities, and to celebrate Hon. Carmel Sepuloni, Minister for Disability Issues will launch the guide “Leading the way in accessible information”.
This guide outlines how to use:
- inclusive language
- inclusive design including IT tools
- alternate formats, such as NZSL videos, Braille and Easy Read.
This guide has been co-designed by MSD and the Disabled Persons Organisations – Deaf Aotearoa, People First New Zealand Ngā Tāngata Tuatahi, Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand, and Kāpō Māori Aotearoa.
The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) is leading this cross-government work as part of the Disability Strategy Action Plan.
Accessible information is important to disabled people
The Action Plan’s vision is for “all New Zealanders to experience equal rights of citizenship” For disabled people, full realisation of their human rights depends on access to information, services and products.
Purpose
The purpose of the work is to:
- improve disabled people’s access to information provided by government agencies to the public
- provide disabled people with a consistent experience when accessing government information
- meet New Zealand’s international obligation under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
To achieve this, over the next five years, we are supporting each agency to ensure its information is accessible through mentoring, planning, and reporting.
Actions to date
- 15 February 2018 – the Accessibility Charter was launched by Brendan Boyle, Chief Executive of MSD. By 15 December it is expected all government agencies will sign the Charter.
- On 3 December 2018 ‒ publication of the guide “Leading the way in accessible information”. This will be supported training workshops for the public sector.
