Kia ora

Thanks to the concerted effort of so many, we will finally see Accessibility Legislation introduced into Parliament in July this year. However, we are not quite there yet.

The Government's policy only partly delivers on the Access Alliance’s 13 Principles, which are based on what you told us you need. We must make the most of the time we have to get the access law we need.

We are not alone. We have the support of people around the globe who have walked and wheeled this path before us. There is much we can learn from their experiences.

We warmly invite our Access Matters campaign supporters to join us for a very special webinar on Tuesday 22 February. We will hear how international accessibility advocates have stepped up, over and over again, with ingenuity, determination and heart, to achieve accessibility for their communities.

Webinar Speakers

Judith Ellen "Judy" Heumann, American disability rights activist and star of Netflix documentary 'Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution'

Judy is recognized internationally as a leader in the disability community. She is a lifelong civil rights advocate for people with disabilities. Her work with governments and non governmental organizations, non-profits, and various other disability interest groups, has produced significant contributions since the 1970s to the development of human rights legislation and policies benefiting children and adults with disabilities.

David Lepofsky, Canadian lawyer and disability advocate

David is a leading Canadian disability rights lawyer, activist and advocate, who has advised on Accessibility Legislation at the provincial and federal levels of Canada's government, and internationally, for over 25 years. The AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) Alliance is a disability consumer advocacy group that works to support the full and effective implementation of accessibility standards in Ontario. Now retired from his position as General Counsel in Toronto, David teaches at the University of Toronto, and Osgoode Hall Law School. Blind for much of his life, David is regarded as one of Canada's most influential lawyers.

Catherine Naughton, Director of the European Disability Forum (EDF)

The EDF is a unique platform that brings together representative organisations of persons with disabilities from across Europe. Catherine is also the Vice President of the Social Platform, the largest network of European rights- and value-based civil society organisations working in the social sector.

Catherine has an academic background in public health, and 25 years of experience in the field of disability, with a particular focus on inclusive development and the rights of persons with disabilities in low and middle income countries.

She has worked in many countries, and at the EU and international levels, to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in mainstream development and humanitarian programmes.

David Capozzi, Former Executive Director of the U.S. Access Board

The U.S. Access Board is the only Federal agency whose primary mission is accessibility for people with disabilities. David has over 35 years of experience directing programs focused on national accessibility policies in the Federal and non-profit sectors. He was a member of a nine-person legal team that helped craft sections of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.

Jarrod Clyne, Human Rights Advisor for the Human Rights Council

Jarrod joined the International Disability Alliance (IDA) Secretariat in September 2020. He has worked for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 15 years, with postings to Tokyo, Geneva, and short-term assignments to New York. As Deputy Permanent Representative at the Permanent Mission of New Zealand to the United Nations in Geneva, Jarrod co-chaired the Group of Friends on the CRPD and co-facilitated several Human Rights Council resolutions on the rights of persons with disabilities from 2014 - 2019. His academic background is in law, and he has a Master's degree in International Law of Armed Conflict (Geneva Academy, Switzerland) and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from Otago University (New Zealand). He is based in the IDA Geneva Office.

Michael Fox, Director and Chairperson of Rights & Inclusion (RI) Australia

Michael's international roles include extensive involvement in the drafting, adoption and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Australia in July 2008.

From 2004 to 2008 Michael prioritised key global issues, including CRPD adoption, as President of RI Global, a New York based international organisation and network advancing the rights and inclusion of people with disabilities. From 1996 to 2004 he was Global Chair of ICTA, the RI International Commission on Technology & Accessibility.

Michael is an architect, planner and access consultant with involvement in access and equity since 1980, including as director of Access Australia and related architectural practice Michael Fox Architects.

Join me and my co-hosts Dr Huhana Hickey (MNZM) and Olivia Shivas to learn from this extraordinary group of legendary accessibility advocates.

Date: Tuesday 22 February 2022

Time: 9.00am – 12:00pm midday

Venue: Zoom

Registration: https://blindlowvision.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcu2spjgoHtK1Inpo2G9JHxlpKUrnWDk5

Places are limited so register online today!

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Zoom containing information about joining the meeting. The webinar will be interpreted into NZSL and have captions.

We had got this far because we pulled together. Now, with support from our international counterparts, let us see want we can create in 2022.

Ngā mihi nui

Juliana Carvalho

For the Access Matters Campaign

www.accessalliance.org.nz