The new head of Whaikaha – the Ministry for Disabled People believes changing people's attitudes around disability is key to improving the lives of the 1.1 million Kiwis living with impairments who are more likely to be unemployed, living in poverty, and die young.
This week, Paula Tesoriero started as the CEO of Whaikaha. She told Q+A that, often, poor policy and service delivery stemmed from a lack of awareness about what the disabled community needed.
"And sometimes it can be at that more sharp end of stigma and discrimination and those are the things that really need to change," Tesoriero said.
She said one of her key priorities was to change attitudes toward disabilities and people with a disability.
"I think if the underlying attitudes can change then that, in and of itself, will actually really start to reduce those barriers over time."
Whaikaha would not deliver every service their community needs. Education and housing, for example, will still reside with those ministries. But, Tesoriero said, "it's about working with those agencies and forming close relationships with those agencies and really trying to affect that change".
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Q+A questioned Tesoriero about how the ministry would consult the disability community, and whether any feedback could tangibly change Government policy.
It comes after the Otago Daily Times revealed the Ministry of Disabled People asked disability support providers to give feedback within 24 hours on the Government's proposal to scrap most mask mandates. IHC Group chief executive Ralph Jones was among those concerned about the short timeframe.
Tesoriero said she wanted to ensure that any government engagement with the disability community was "genuine and authentic".
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