Conclusion
The disability community in Aotearoa NZ has grown immensely in size, capacity and influence in the last 200 years. But considerable inequities remain.
Although the institutions have closed, and a Royal Commission is currently inquiring into historic abuse, there is evidence that disabled people are still suffering discrimination and abuse as revealed by a 2008 Select Committee Inquiry, a 2013 Ministry of Health report and media investigations.
Despite some good providers, poor and neglectful care seems widespread.
A 2011 Ministry of Health report revealed life expectancy of about 20 years less for people with intellectual disability than for those without, and other disparities.
In the past many people died at an early age. Improvements in medical knowledge and technology now enable many people with ill health or physical impairments to live longer, including babies born very prematurely.
This is one reason why there are more disabled people today than there were in early New Zealand. But for many, access to rights and participation in citizenship remains elusive.
In the 2013 NZ Disability Survey, 24% of respondents were identified as disabled.
With the addition of family members and carers, that makes a large disability constituency. But there is much work to do.
Our official disability policy is underpinned by the social model but operational policy is based on targeting and rationing.
We also have two different systems depending on whether the impairment is a result of accident or caused by other means.
More recently ‘Enabling Good Lives’ principles have been co-developed between disabled people and government to underpin new policy initiatives.
But intersectionality means that some groups such as Māori and other marginalised groups face multiple disparities.
These tensions ensure ongoing inequities and the need for continued activism.