You are invited to join Disabled Persons Assembly NZ (DPA) and Access Matters Aotearoa* (AMA) this Saturday 5 November 1:00 - 2:30pm for an online interactive workshop about making an effective Select Committee submission regarding the Accessibility for New Zealander’s Bill.

The workshop will be facilitated by Prudence Walker from DPA and Juliana Carvalho from AMA. Don't miss out on your opportunity to help make the Bill stronger!

After many years campaigning for a new law to ensure accessibility in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Government has responded by introducing the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill. Unfortunately, the Bill in its present form falls short of the robust, comprehensive and enforceable legislation campaigners have been calling for.

The Bill is under review by the Social Services and Community Select Committee, which is currently receiving public submissions. The deadline for submissions is this coming Monday 7 November.

It is vital that you act quickly to have your say and help strengthen the Bill, to make it fit for purpose.

Join DPA and AMA at our online workshop where we will go through how to put your thoughts on the Bill into a submission. By the end of the workshop, you will have a compelling submission ready to submit.

When: 1:00 - 2:30pm Saturday 5 November

Where: Online – a Zoom link will be emailed to registrants on Saturday morning.

Registration: Google Form

Accessibility: NZSL Interpreters and Auto Captions

Quick Submission Form

Access Matters Aotearoa* has set up a quick submission form so that, in about five minutes, you can easily have your say on the Accessibility for New Zealanders Bill.

Oral-Only Submissions

You can also choose to make an oral submission only (including NZSL). This is in recognition that written submissions may be challenging for some people who wish to give input on the Bill.

If you would like to make an oral-only submission you need to let the Social Services and Community Committee staff know by Monday 7 November 2022. The staff will talk with you about a day and time for you to speak to the Committee. You can also use New Zealand Sign Language to make your submission. You will need to let the staff know so they can arrange an interpreter.

To contact Social Services and Community Committee staff:

Email: [email protected]

Post: Social Services and Community Secretariat, Parliament Buildings, Wellington, 6160

Phone: 0800 7273 6282

Make a Submission Directly to the Select Committee

We recommend you attend our Submission Workshop on Saturday, and/or use the Quick Submission Form; however, you can make a direct submission if you wish, via the New Zealand Parliament website.

I look forward to seeing you at the workshop.

Ngā mihi nui

Juliana Carvalho

Access Matters Aotearoa*

www.accessmatters.org.nz

p.s. don't forget to sign the #MakeAccessibilityRealNZ petition!

*Access Matters Aotearoa is in the process of applying to become a charitable trust. For the avoidance of doubt, Access Matters Aotearoa does not currently claim to be a charitable trust and nothing in this email is to be construed as anything to the contrary.