The Great Kiwi Accessibility Road Trip

The Great Kiwi Accessibility Road Trip

Media Release June 2011

A new social enterprise is rolling into 12 cities over the next two weeks. The Be. On The Road ‘accessible’ campervan will arrive with the goal of introducing the inspirational social change mission of creating a 100% accessible country for everyone.

Be. Accessible is proud to drive the Be. On The Road campaign nationwide, as the campaign hits 12 New Zealand cities, including the 11 Rugby World Cup host cities to connect with communities and introduce the Be. vision and programmes designed to create, strengthen and enhance accessibility in all communities.

Community gatherings have already taken place in Invercargill, Dunedin, Christchurch, Nelson and Palmerston North, and will continue through to New Plymouth (28 June), Rotorua (29 June), Napier (30 June), Hamilton (4 July), Whangarei (5 July), Auckland (6 July) and Wellington (7 July).

The campaign kicks off following a May announcement by Disabilities Minister Tariana Turia of $4 million in funding for the campaign over four years.

Be. Accessible chief executive Minnie Baragwanath and the Be. team will be in each town to share the story of Be., and discuss each community’s vision of what an accessible community looks like to them.

The Be. team will present three significant and contributory initiatives: Be. Accessible, New Zealand’s first nationwide accessibility programme; Be. Leadership, the first nationwide disability leadership programme; and Be. Welcome Assessment Programme, a unique location accessibility assessment programme.

Through these programmes, Be. Accessible aims to improve the accessibility of the physical environment, enable better access to information, promote the inclusion and leadership of disabled people in employment and the community, and change social attitudes and behaviours.

The Be. Welcome Assessment programme invites businesses, organisations and services to have holistic access assessments completed by a credited Be. Assessor to begin their journey towards greater accessibility. Once the assessment is completed the information is made available on Beaccessible.org.nz for access customers to review.

Ms Baragwanath says, “We are excited to share the Be. Accessible story and vision with New Zealand and invite people to join our mission in co-creating a more accessible society. To achieve real accessibility for all people, including the 20% of New Zealanders who identify as having a disability, we must address the inter-related nature of the physical, social and personal aspects of accessibility.

“Be. Accessible and its complementary initiatives are the foundation for a more accessible and inclusive society. As we strive for social change at a local level, we are fostering economic development and increased employment opportunity at a national level.”

With the Rugby World Cup 2011 fast approaching, Be. Accessible is working hard to complete more than 200 accessibility assessments nationwide. These assessments provide valuable information to visitors and residents who wish to participate in all the event has to offer.

These assessments also provide long-term benefit for the community, offering part-time employment opportunities and the potential to help local businesses grow. Kiwis have always punched above their weight in sport so it is only fitting that the Rugby World Cup 2011 has become such a significant catalyst for social change in this way.

A range of organisations have been invited to attend their local Be. On The Road presentation, including the Tourism Research Institute, Ministry of Social Development, NZ Transport Agency, WINZ, NZ School Trustee Association, Employers Disability Network and the Sustainable Business Network.

Follow Be. Accessible on Face book and see where the journey continues.

Fact Sheet

• The Be. Institute was founded in 2011 through a partnership between the Auckland Council, the Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and the Auckland District Health Board;
• Be. On The Road will visit Invercargill (21 June), Dunedin (22 June), Christchurch (23 June), Nelson (24 June), Palmerston North (27 June), New Plymouth (28 June), Rotorua (29 June), Napier (30 June), Hamilton (4 July), Whangarei (5 July), Auckland (6 July) and Wellington (7 July).
• The problem New Zealand faces is that 20% of the population doesn’t get full access to society, and even if employment is possible, people with disabilities earn less on average that those without;
• Founding trustees include John Allen (CEO MFAT) and Mark Bagshaw (Managing Director, Innov8 Consulting Group), Ross Brereton (CEO, Disabled Persons Assembly) and Mary-Jane Rivers (Founder, Inspiring Communities), and the current chief executive is former Auckland Council Disability Advisor Minnie Baragwanath.
• The institute’s three initiatives are Be. Accessible, Be. Leadership and Be. Welcome Assessment Programme, which are designed to collectively achieve 100% accessibility for all New Zealanders;
• The Be. Institute’s philosophy is around inclusion – everyone is welcome to participate – and the principle that in order to create a world in which we can all Be., we need to think about our expectations of disabled people, and consider the value of disabled people as leaders and not just recipients of charity;
• One of the first social change programmes to inspire business, community, govt to recognise that we all play a part in creating an accessible world;
• The Be. Institute has coined a new term – the ‘Access Customer’* – which may include any of the following:
o An older person (the baby-boomer)
o A parent pushing a stroller
o Someone with a hearing or vision impairment
o A person with a mental health impairment
o A person who uses a wheelchair
• Between 660,000 and 730,000 people in New Zealand have a disability, and a total of 20% of Kiwis report a disability;
• Half of people 65+ have a disability, and by 2030 25% of Kiwis will be aged 65+;
• 186,340 people with a disability could be working;
• The limited accessibility for people with a disability means that 20% of Kiwis are excluded from fully participating in everyday activities;
• With improved accessibility, businesses could increase by 20% more customers;
• Sign Language is the third official language of New Zealand;
• The welfare cost is $2.1 billion per annum and the opportunity cost an estimated $11.7 billion per annum;
• El Du Pont de Nemours & Co conducted a study of 1,000 workers with disabilities, with results showing:
o 81% of workers with disabilities rated better than average in job performance;
o 86% of workers with disabilities rated above average in attendance;
o 98% of workers with disabilities rated average or better than average in safety;
o No increase in compensation costs.

Sources:
Statistics New Zealand, 2006
Office for Disability, 2008
Be.ready – The toolkit for business
Innov8 Consulting Group Disability Statistics Chart

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