In practice, many aspects of the education system in New Zealand lack consistent working knowledge of what an inclusive education system is and how it functions. People with a disability are at a high risk of being bullied. There is a lack of data as to what students require, what supports students are/are not getting and the supports they need to thrive. Recently it was discovered that children with disabilities were being held in seclusion-like conditions in several schools. This led to the practice of seclusion being explicitly outlawed in an updated version of the Education Act 1989. The Government needs to gather comprehensive data and evidence to fully understand what is required to ensure the right to an inclusive education is realised for people with disabilities. Employment Article 27 – Disabled people are less likely to be employed than the general population or other minorities. In the June 2017 quarter, disabled people were more likely to be unemployed and their average weekly incomes were just over half those of non-disabled people. In the June 2017 quarter, 42.3 per cent of disabled youth aged 15–24 years were not in employment, education, or training (NEET). This was more than four times the NEET rate of non-disabled 15–24 year-olds (10.0 percent). NEET is made up of those who are: unemployed not in education – not in the labour force not in education and caregiving – not in the labour force not in education and not caregiving. – The group that contributed the most to the higher NEET rate for disabled youth were those not in the labour force, not in education, and not caregiving (35.8 percent). Employment for disabled people is often limited by opportunity and people's attitudes rather than disability. Housing Article 28 – There appears to be a lack of accessible housing in New Zealand. This includes housing, housing in the private rental sector, state housing (housing stock of HNZC), and social housing. A recent report released by the Salvation Army concluded New Zealand needs to build about 2,000 more social houses per year over the next decade to adequately respond to unmet demand. According to the report, disabled people make up a large proportion of long-term social housing tenants.
In practice, many aspects of the education system in New Zealand lack consistent working knowledge of what an inclusive education system is and how it functions. People with a disability are at a high risk of being bullied. There is a lack of data as to what students require, what supports students are/are not getting and the supports they need to thrive. Recently it was discovered that children with disabilities were being held in seclusion-like conditions in several schools. This led to the practice of seclusion being explicitly outlawed in an updated version of the Education Act 1989. The Government needs to gather comprehensive data and evidence to fully understand what is required to ensure the right to an inclusive education is realised for people with disabilities. Employment – Article 27 Disabled people are less likely to be employed than the general population or other minorities. In the June 2017 quarter, disabled people were more likely to be unemployed and their average weekly incomes were just over half those of non-disabled people. In the June 2017 quarter, 42.3 per cent of disabled youth aged 15–24 years were not in employment, education, or training (NEET). This was more than four times the NEET rate of non-disabled 15–24 year-olds (10.0 percent). NEET is made up of those who are: unemployed – not in education not in the labour force – not in education and caregiving not in the labour force – not in education and not caregiving. The group that contributed the most to the higher NEET rate for disabled youth were those not in the labour force, not in education, and not caregiving (35.8 percent). Employment for disabled people is often limited by opportunity and people's attitudes rather than disability. Housing – Article 28 There appears to be a lack of accessible housing in New Zealand. This includes housing, housing in the private rental sector, state housing (housing stock of HNZC), and social housing. A recent report released by the Salvation Army concluded New Zealand needs to build about 2,000 more social houses per year over the next decade to adequately respond to unmet demand. According to the report, disabled people make up a large proportion of long-term social housing tenants.
INT_CRPD_IFR_NZL_30085_E.docx