IHC welcomes the announcement of the closure of Kimberley Centre in Levin.

“This is the last large institution for people with intellectual disabilities left in New Zealand and we’re pleased that it is, at last, closing,” IHC chief executive Jan Dowland said today.

Research on the lives of people who have moved out of other institutions has shown that they lead richer and fuller lives, Ms Dowland said. Studies also show that families, although they can be reluctant at first, come to enjoy seeing their sons and daughters having the opportunity to take part in all the community has to offer.

IHC has long advocated for the closure of institutions and supports many people who have lived for many years in segregated facilities.

Ends

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>