Disabled Kiwis are disappointed with new legislation aimed at making New Zealand 'fully accessible', saying it lacks real force.
The Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill had its first reading in Parliament on Tuesday afternoon, but advocates are already pushing for significant changes.
Access Matters spokesperson Juliana Carvalho said: “At this stage we know there is a huge disappointment within the disability community, that this bill won't have real effect.”
The bill will see the creation of an Accessibility Committee, of which the majority of members must be disabled.
It will work alongside the new Ministry of Disabled People, Whaikaha, and its permanent leader, who's yet to be announced.
READ MORE: Disabled Kiwi set to be head of new Ministry
Every year the group will make recommendations to tackle access issues.
Disability Issues Minister Poto Williams said: “Government is required to take their recommendations and work on them.
“We're expecting because there is such high expectations in the community, that they will be bold, and they will be telling us what we need to know as Government.
“They will report to us on how we are doing against those recommendations… that's really important, they need to know we are following up on actions important to them around accessibility and practise.”
She said moves to “regulate and make standards” will come in the future.
But advocates like Carvalho believe that should be happening now.
“We don’t need to invent the wheel,” she said, “all the other countries, developed countries and even Brazil has accessibility legislation with really strong, enforceable standards.”
She said we are 30 years behind the United States, 12 years behind UK and 20 years behind Brazil when it comes to having those standards.
But Williams said, “What we are doing is building a strong foundation for that work to happen in the future.
“In the spirit of nothing about us without us, we need our disabled community to tell us what they need and that's the point of the bill.
“The legislation sets up the committee so the committee can speak directly to Government, what are our priorities and what should we be acting on?”
Accessible websites is just one of the smaller things blind Aucklander Rhonda Comins would like to see first.
She believes it’s simple to achieve, with international rules around it enforced overseas.
“Many of the websites in New Zealand are not built to standard so my screen reader can't access the information.”
It means she can’t look for jobs online and is even limited with her online shopping.
The issues she faces barriers accessing employment, transport, housing, entertainment, and the list goes on.
Comins said, “When you pile it all together, you do feel like you're a different species of creature in a way that you're living on the fringe of society.. I don't feel like I'm an equal participant”
Carvalho said, “We hope through the select committee process we can strengthen the bill and set deadlines... minimal standards of accessibility both for public and private, and a notification process will be essential as well, and a regulator and a tribunal.”
“We're not asking too much,” she said.
She acknowledged the milestone of the Bill’s first reading on Tuesday, but said it was just a small step.
Williams said it was a significant day for the more than one million Kiwis with disabilities.
“They've been asking for legislation around accessibility for more than five years.”
A month on from the launch of the new ministry, Whaikaha, Williams said, “the the transfer of disability support services has gone well, and the integration of the office of disability is integrated, up and running and working well.
READ MORE: 'Whaikaha - Ministry of Disabled People' launched
“Now it is about us getting the new CEO on board and developing the programme going forward.”
The timeframe for the permanent chief executive appointment remains unclear.
Carvalho said: “The politicians need to understand that politicians come and go, people with disabilities are here to stay so we are in this fight for the long-haul.”
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