Disability Connect

One of Mike's wins this year was a parent telling us their son was playing in two bands. One with friends who are disabled people, and a second band of community musicians playing gigs all over town.

For Cherie, it was realising she could create activities for her own adult son Mitchell, after day programmes turned him down last year. He now spends his afternoons out in the community - walking, swimming, sailing, shopping or at the arcade with his support workers.

We're inviting you to bring your win to our next Parent Support Group on Wednesday 12 August, 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

No matter how big or small it seems to you, we think it's worth celebrating. Your story may be exactly the encouragement another parent or caregiver has been looking for.

You can bring a situation you're still working out too. This'll be a safe space to listen and share from our own experiences.

If you're in Auckland, we'll be at Mt Richmond Specialist School in Ōtāhuhu with warm drinks and snacks. We'd love to see you. If getting out in the evening is hard, or you're not in the area, join us on Zoom instead. Just tell us which you'd prefer when you register.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ew93FQmAv/

What's a win in your family this year? Drop it in the comments if you'd like to share it now.

Image description: A promotional poster for the event. The text reads: “Our Stories and Our Strengths. Parent Support Group. Free event for families. Join us in person or online! Wednesday 12 August 2026, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Mt Richmond Specialist School, 30 Albion Road, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland." There's a photo of Cherie's son, Mitchell smiling as he rides the tram at MOTAT. He is wearing noise cancelling headphones, a black hat and a green hoodie.

"When you don't know what's available to you, it can be disappointing and a real struggle to get support. I want to help families going through that experience, just like I did with mine."

Meet Jess, who joined our team this year as a Cultural Disability Information Advisor.

Originally from the Philippines, Jess has a background in Information Technology and is currently studying a Master's in Advanced Behaviour Analysis.

Like many of our team members, she also brings lived experience as the parent of a neurodivergent son.

Knowing how overwhelming the disability journey can be, and the importance of timely information and community connection, Jess now facilitates our monthly Parent Support Group sessions.

A big focus of her role is supporting migrant and multicultural families who may not have the social and family networks they'd usually rely on. Having moved to New Zealand in 2007, Jess understands the challenges of adjusting to a new country, navigating unfamiliar systems, and sometimes communicating in a new language.

Outside of work, Jess enjoys spending time with her church community, having meaningful conversations over coffee, and singing or jamming to music.

Please join us in giving Jess a warm welcome to the Disability Connect team! If you haven't met her yet, come say hi at one of our Parent Support Group events.

Image description: Jess smiles at the camera. She has shoulder-length dark hair, wears a brown jacket over a grey striped cardigan and t-shirt, and is standing in front of green palm fronds.

A huge thank you to the Ombudsman Disability Rights Team for coming to our Parent Support Group this month and speaking about fair treatment for disabled people.

The Ombudsman Office’s main role is to investigate complaints against government agencies, and these services are freely available to everyone.

They can look at complaints about government agencies and organisations, city, district or regional councils, and school board of trustees.

They can't look at decisions made in parliament or council meetings, decisions made by a Member of Parliament, Private Sector organisations or companies, or issues covered by other complaints mechanisms.

It was an excellent learning session for us all.

We understand some of you are interested in an online information session about the Ombudsman. If that's you, please comment below or send us an email at [email protected] with Ombudsman in the subject line so we're aware of numbers. Pending the level of interest, we'll look to host a session later in the year and will share details on our page once confirmed.

Image description: two members from the Ombudsman Disability Rights team presenting at the Parent Support Group. They are sitting in front of a TV screen with information about the Ombudsman displayed on it.

When we launched our disability housing information service last year, we expected to work with around 40 families. Instead, more than 100 families came to us for support to understand their housing options and build confidence in finding a home.

At Child Poverty Action Group NZ - CPAG’s annual hui, our CEO Mike Potter spoke about poverty and the reality of trying to find housing as a disabled person. What we see every day is clear: disabled people and their families need at least five things in housing; affordability, accessibility, adaptability, safety, and the right supports to live a good life.

The demand for our service shows how many families are struggling to find homes that meet these basic needs. And while the system continues to fall short, government conversations still focus almost entirely on affordability, ignoring the other four essentials.

We are strongly advocating for two practical changes. First, homes must be accessible and able to be adapted over time as people’s needs change. Second, social and community housing must be intentionally built in safe neighbourhoods. As all of us age, we acquire health conditions and disabilities, and disabled people are no different. There is a significant need for housing in safer locations with designs that do not disable our community.

The homes being built today will be around for decades. Designing them to be accessible and safe now will benefit disabled people and their whānau, and all of us as we grow older. Families want certainty that their disabled children will have safety, stability, and a good life long after they are no longer able to care for them.

Thank you to Child Poverty Action Group for the opportunity to be part of this important kōrero.

Image description: A collage of photos of Mike speaking as part of a panel at the Child Poverty Action Group hui. He is sitting next to Aaron Hendry from Kick Back and Agnes Magele from Auckland Action Against Poverty.

The image includes captions with Mike's comments, reading: "There's a deepening housing crisis, for poverty of supply. And our criteria for housing is our non compensatory criteria. Non compensatory means you cannot compensate for it. You must have it. Now for most people, it's location, number of bedrooms, how much I can afford. For our disabled people and whānau, there's about 8, but I'll give you 4. The government tells us this one for social housing. That's affordability. They kind of forget accessibility. They completely forget adaptability. And they ignore safety. And that's what we need to hear in our policies. That's how that's how we can actually have homes and places where we can live and we can thrive. And I feel for my brother, my sister, around the homelessness, because we know that's what they need, but the system is not delivering it."

"Thank you for making the Zoom meeting so user friendly and for being non-judgemental. I've listened to Nan previously and although I learn a little more each time, I still have a way to go. Thank you for helping me to continue to make progress on this very important task that I must do to safeguard my son."

You can now register for our next Planning for Adulthood webinars with disability legal expert Nan Jensen.

Learn how to plan for your child's future with practical information about wills, letters of wishes, supported decision making, property management, and the legal options available to help protect their long-term wellbeing.

Registration is $20 per family.

For more information, including how to register, go to our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1ERX91Tzm1/

Image description: A promotional poster for the webinar. Text reads "Planning for Adulthood. Webinar. Legal rights, estate planning, asset protection, wills and trusts. Wednesday 29 July 2026, 6:30pm to 9:30pm. Wednesday 30 September 2026, 11:00am to 2:00pm." There's a photo of Nan Jensen smiling next to the text. She has short hair, and is wearing glasses and a floral blue top.

Enabling Good Lives is all about disabled people having real choice and being supported to live ordinary, connected lives in their communities.

Does someone come to mind when you read that?

Maybe it's a teacher, employer, support worker, community group or family member who consistently puts these principles into action.

If so, we encourage you to nominate them for our inaugural Disability Connect Enabling Good Lives Awards.

Nominations close 31 July 2026.

For more information and to submit a nomination, visit our website: https://disabilityconnect.org.nz/disability-connect-enabling-good-lives-awards/

If you have any questions, leave them in the comments or email [email protected] with "Awards" in the subject line.

Image description: promotional poster for the awards. Text reads "Disability Connect Enabling Good Lives Awards. Celebrating people, organisations and community groups making a real difference for disabled people and their whānau across Auckland. Nominations close 31 July." A graphic of a large gold trophy is on the right side of the poster.

Do you know what to do if you feel you've been treated unfairly by a government agency?

Join us for our next Parent Support Group event with members of the Office of the Ombudsman's Disability Rights Team.

This free session will explore how the Office of the Ombudsman helps ensure Deaf and disabled people are treated fairly by government agencies, protects and promotes disability rights, and monitors the government's implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

You'll also learn more about the Ombudsman's role and how to make a complaint if you have concerns about the actions of a government agency.

We often hear how much parents and families value the opportunity to connect with others who share similar experiences. If you're interested in meeting others in the community, we warmly welcome you to join us.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1BViJefX2D/

Image description: A promotional poster for the event. The text reads: “Understanding the Ombudsman. Parent Support Group. Free event for families. Speakers: Office of the Ombudsman Disability Rights Team. Wednesday 8 July 2026, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Mt Richmond Special School, 30 Albion Road, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland.” Beside the text is the Ombudsman logo.