Handicapped people at own conference

Press, 2 September 1983, Page 7

Handicapped people at own conference

For the first time in New Zealand intellectually handicapped people are attending their own national conference.

It began on Wednesday in Christchurch, in conjunction with the New Zealand Society for the Intellectually Handicapped conference. The organisation for the 90-strong conference has .been done by the society, but it is aimed at the handicapped people themselves.

The director of services with the society’s national office, Mr A. Capie, has said yesterday that the aim of the conference was to find out what the handicapped people themselves wanted. “People want more of an opportunity to say what

they want themselves, rather than things that other people think will be 'good for them,” he said. Sessions at the conference yesterday included a film on .self advocacy, human relations, planning activities, and a communications session.

Other activities during the conference, which will last until tomorrow, include sessions on rights and responsibilities in home, workshop, and recreation situations, organising and running committees, and future directions.

The delegates will visit I.H.C. facilities in Christchurch, Canterbury Museum and Hagley Park, and will take part in social activities in the evening. Mr Capie said there had been smaller, local conferences for the handicapped people before, but not a national one. The LH.C. conference itself is being held in Christchurch for the first time in 10 years. “In that 10 years, there has been a rapid expansion of services for intellectually handicapped people throughout New Zealand,” said the conference organis-

ing secretary, Mr Alex Clark.

"The Canterbury branch alone has opened six new. family homes and two new workshops in that decade, plus independent flats and a much improved service to parents and intellectually handicapped children and adults,” he said.

Among the remits to be put before the society’s annual meeting on tomorrow is a proposal that the Education Department be asked to provide or meet the costs of transport to and from special schools for. handicapped children when they are there for only a short time.

This remit, put forward by the North Snore branch, is to overcome problems of transport which exist in Auckland, and some other parts of New Zealand. Another remit proposes that the Minister of Education, Mr Wellington, be asked to review the teaching and specialist staff ratios in special schools.

This would be to ensure that standards in these schools are further improved and that the greater needs and expectations in the field are met. K