Adults with intellectual disability want ordinary lives

Disability Issues Minister Ruth today congratulated the National Health Committee for its high-quality report on services for adults with an intellectual disability.

“The National Health Committee has spent more than two years gathering information about adults with an intellectual disability who need regular support for living across all aspects of their lives - including housing, income, work, relationships, health, community and culture.

“Its report, To Have an Ordinary Life, is challenging and timely. It shows that people with an intellectual disability want their lives to be taken seriously. They want choices about where they live, who they live with and what they do. In other words, they want lives that are like other people’s.”

Ruth Dyson said the government would consider the report and respond to its recommendations. She said work had already begun in some areas.

“A number of initiatives in housing, health, vocational services, needs assessment and service coordination are already underway that will improve the lives of people with intellectual and other disabilities. For example, the government is putting more than $27 million over four years into a new vocational services strategy, to provide genuine employment opportunities for people with disabilities, with the same rights and conditions as other workers.”

Ms Dyson said the report’s recommendations had implications for a number of government departments.

“Whole-of-life support for people requires a whole-of-government approach. I look forward to working in partnership with the National Health Committee, self-advocates, families and service providers to ensure adults with an intellectual disability can lead valued and supported lives in the community.”

Copies of ‘To Have an Ordinary Life’, and a plain language summary, are available on the National Health Committee’s website http:// http://www.nhc.govt.nz,

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