December 3 marks International Day of Persons with Disabilities – a day to encourage understanding and increase awareness of the need to be inclusive of people with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.
This year’s theme is ‘Inclusion Matters: Access and Empowerment for People of All Abilities’, and at Auckland Council we are working in many areas to do just that.
Research on visual impairment and work
Auckland Council has recently participated in research by Auckland University of Technology (AUT) titled Visual Impairment and Work. The research demonstrates, from an employee point of view, how a vision-impaired person navigates a workplace designed for fully sighted people.
AUT produced a short video about the study, which includes an interview with Martine Abel, a specialist advisor in the council’s Community Empowerment unit, and the council’s resident expert on all matters relating to disability.
Martine, who works in Auckland Council’s city-centre offices, is limited to lightness and darkness perception, and she has an assist dog with her at all times.
In the video, Martine explains that adaptive technology is an enormous part of her daily routine – she uses a laptop with a speech output programme, a smart phone with speech output and a portable braille notetaker.
She says although that might seem complex, it’s not as daunting as it sounds and employers should think of the person and the job they are to do, rather than their impairment.
"Employers should think of the person and the job they are to do, rather than their impairment."
The AUT research also looks at the need for employers to have the right attitude towards employees with disabilities, and the right policies in place.
Martine also represents New Zealand at the World Blind Union – a global organisation that looks at national, regional and local programmes addressing the needs of visually impaired people around the world.
Auckland Council’s No. 8 Wire network
Martine is a member of No. 8 Wire, a council staff group dedicated to supporting council employees with impairments, and helping make the organisation a leading employer for disabled people. The group is about celebrating differences and success of our diverse staff with a focus on possibility rather than disability.
The name is borrowed from the adage that you can do anything with No.8 wire – in other words, the Kiwi 'can do' attitude of using ingenuity and flair to find unique solutions no matter what the task.
The group meets every two months to share experiences, ideas and knowledge. Most recently, the members have worked with the People and Capability department (formerly Human Resources) to ensure staff engagement surveys are fully accessible, and they have worked with the council on accessibility requirements during the refit of the 135 Albert Street head office.
