Too many disabled people encounter excuses when they ask for access to worship spaces. “It’s not in our budget,” religious leaders will say to the wheelchair user who can’t fit into a bathroom stall. Or, “We can’t make that alteration just for you.” Budget constraints are real, but too often, enabling greater access to people Read more
With the introduction of medical abortion and fewer restrictions on who can provide them, it is now simpler and easier for New Zealanders to receive an abortion. On Saturday, Labour’s Associate Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced the medications can now be prescribed by primary care practitioners, including GPs, midwives, and nurse practitioners. She Read more
Disabled people live in damper homes, earn less and have fewer social connections, according to a new report. The findings from Stats NZ measure the level of inequality for the one in four New Zealanders who are disabled. It found the median personal income for disabled people aged between 15 and 64 was less than Read more
On Saturday 8 June, over 100 people joined with L’Arche (Kapiti), Mount Tabor (Auckland), Marralomeda (Christchurch) and Faith & Light communities to honour the memory of Jean Vanier who died in Paris on 7 May. Participants in the service included people from all Christian faiths with and without intellectual disability. A joyous atmosphere prevailed as Read more
The founder of the G.I.F.T. Centre that ministers to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, Cenacle Sr Jean Sinclair, MNZM, has died in Auckland aged 93. “I learned so much from the G.I.F.T. groups”, said Lijana Anketell, a long time volunteer at G.I.F.T (Growth in Faith Together) and friend of Sr Jean’s. Continue reading in Read more
Pope Francis has decried the obsession with perfect bodies, saying it leads society to hide the disabled to avoid offending the privileged. In a homily at a Mass at St Peter’s Square on Sunday for the Jubilee of the Sick and Disabled, the Pope called for mutual solidarity and acceptance. Francis criticised the modern “objections” Read more
Brother George Van der Zant has received a Solomon Islands Human Rights Award. The award recognises his efforts to advance the education of youth with disabilities. George is the Director of the San IsiDro Care Centre at Aruligo in Guadalcanal. He has been a brother for 57 years and has spent 42 years working in Read more
Jean Vanier, the founder of the L’Arche communities, has won the 2015 Templeton Prize, which is worth US$1.7million. L’Arche is a global network of communities where those with and without developmental disabilities live side by side. The network was begun in northern France in 1964 when Mr Vanier invited two intellectually disabled men to live Read more