IHC is urging policymakers, educators and the community to come together to address the root causes of poverty and ensure that no child is left behind, including children with an intellectual disability.

A new survey from KidsCan has found that thousands of children in New Zealand are beginning the school year without essential basics.

IHC Director of Advocacy Tania Thomas says these findings are a call to action.

“Children with intellectual disabilities are not just facing much higher financial hardship than most; they’re facing exclusion from opportunities to thrive and participate in society,” says Tania. “It’s unacceptable, and we must do better.”

Forthcoming research from IHC, using data from Stats NZ’s integrated data infrastructure, sheds light on the disproportionate and rarely discussed impact of the child poverty crisis on intellectually disabled children. The findings, set to be published in February, reveal that these children are twice as likely as their peers to experience material hardship.

Key findings include:

• Financial Strain: 42 percent of households with an intellectually disabled child cannot pay an unavoidable bill within a month without borrowing, compared to 18 percent of households in the general population.
• Food Insecurity: People with intellectual disability are three times more likely than other New Zealanders to miss out on meals with meat or a vegetarian equivalent at least every second day.
• Social Exclusion: Children with an intellectual disability experience significant barriers to social participation, such as their family being unable to afford school trips or events (13 percent vs. 2 percent in the general population) and not hosting friends to play and eat (26 percent vs. 9 percent in the general population).
• Hardship Increases with Age: Unlike the general population, people with an intellectual disability have increased levels of hardship as they age.

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Tania says this IHC research highlights the compounded disadvantages that families of intellectually disabled children face, particularly as they prepare for the school year.

“Essential expenses such as uniforms, stationery and extracurricular activities strain already stretched budgets, leaving many children with an intellectual disability at a disadvantage from the outset.

“Investing in targeted support for families with intellectually disabled children is not only an ethical imperative but also a societal one.”

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