Author Archives: Robyn

by | June 10, 2008 · 1:53 pm

Television, disability and freak shows

Where does the time go? I have slipped up rather badly, with pressure of work etc.

The debate on National Radio NZ’s Media watch programme about whether television NZ should play charter programmes at more popular times has set me thinking about disability in the broadcast media, and disability media.

Attitude, the disability programme funded by NZ On Air screens at 9.30 on Sunday mornings when there is no advertising, and few viewers. If it were to screen at a more popular viewing time I shudder to think about what advertising would accompany it. The mind boggles at the thought of New Age crank cures, rest homes, or maybe the public service road safety ads about intersections with an spoke on the wheel reading disability – fate worse than death!

The only other programmes about disability on the box are usually “disease of the month” or thinly disguised freak shows. Even Shortland Street which in the past has starred Philip Patston as a hetero character who happened to be disabled, has blotted its copybook by featuring a mad bad and dangerous mentally ill man as a plot device, and we haven’t seen the resident bloke with Tourette syndrome, can’t remember his name, for a while.

Well now you know I watch Shortland Street! Seriously though, I have pretty much given up on the mainstream media to begin to cover our issues in any meaningful way on a regular basis. Even National Radio’s One in Five doesn’t hit the spot for me these days. It seems to be on an entirely different tack.

Nothing About Us without Us is pretty much lost on the mainstream media. I’m not sure that having so called “minority” NZ On Air funded programmes in more commercial time slots would make any difference. In fact it could be a backwards step with TV MZ possibly attempting to influence content. Keep reading the blogs I say!

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Filed under Disability Issues, Media

by | May 6, 2008 · 10:40 am

Celebrations all round

This week is truly celebratory!

It began with the Disability Rights Convention CRPD, continuing with the presentation in New York of the FDR Award to New Zealand.

On Saturday DPA cut a celebratory cake for the Convention, and there are a few other celebrations planned for both events.

It is fitting that yesterday marked the launch of our second National Sign Language week. It was moving to experience the national anthem sung and signed in English and Maori at parliament, along with one of my favourite Hirini Melbourne song The Butterfly. (If someone can post the Maori title please do.) The Deaf community sure can party.

The theme this year is freedom of expression, which of course is a basic human right spelled out in the CRPD. The site has a calendar which is full of great events. Check it out. The butterfly sign logo for the week is a potent symbol of that freedom. It is interesting to note that butterflies are deaf. They negotiate their way through the world by using their antennae.

The butterfly and the Sign for it is the symbol of freedom of expression.

I have a personal celebration as well. We have both our daughters at home as our younger daughter is 21 this week. It’s odd how this quaint celebration custom still exists even though there is no longer any legal significance about reaching this age. You can drink at eighteen, serve in the armed forces at eighteen and vote at eighteen. Most people have the key of the door much younger these days, and may already be burdened with student debt by the age of 21. I guess it is just a good excuse for a party paid for by parents in return for their being allowed to tell embarrassing childhood stories.

Happy Birthday Alice!

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Filed under Disability Issues, Disability Rights, Miscellaneous

by | May 5, 2008 · 1:49 pm

Disability Rights Convention Now International Law

Celebrations all round! Just in case you haven’t caught up with the media fanfare (not!) the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities now has twenty ratifications. This means it is now international law and the mechanisms to bring it into force, such as the international monitoring committee, can now be established.

New Zealand has not yet ratified, see Disability Rights Convention one year on, but this is huge for disabled people worldwide. Congratulations to those countries which have ratified. Disabled people there will now have a voice in monitoring the implementation of the Convention.

Each step in the development of this Convention has been a vindication of our struggle to make disability rights part of the human rights agenda. In New Zealand it gives further weight to the Disability Strategy, and a platform for progress in achieving our rights alongside non-disabled people..

To find out what is happening here go to the Office for Disability Issues and the Human Rights Commission.

Nothing about us without us!

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Filed under Disability Issues, Disability Rights

by | April 30, 2008 · 10:47 am

Disability in the Pacific

It is always a privilege to be able to hear disabled people share their stories. Last week I heard young disabled Samoan women take, for some of them, their first steps towards empowerment. It was sometimes sad and always moving but we managed to have a few laughs together as well.

As I said in my last blog the stories are similar the world over, I can identify with the pain and marginalisation expressed in each personal story. I also said in my last blog the differences are usually local and cultural angles, and of degree.

These young women told of being cared for by their families, but not being allowed out on their own, and being denied opportunities, such as going to school or having a job and being able to contribute to their families in the ways they wanted. Some cried as they told of painful instances of being cruelly treated by others in their communities.

Happily not all stories were sad. One young woman said she was not ashamed of being disabled, and that she had been able to achieve success in her life, and we celebrated that with her.

They all had dreams, the same dreams you would expect many young women to have. They wanted to be able to work, to party, to have boyfriends and ultimately have a family of their own. One expressed a longing to go to school.
I have just returned from Samoa, where I attended two disability conferences, the first a women’s forum. Never having visited before, I found Samoa to be laid back, hot and very clean and tidy. I don’t think I saw a scrap of rubbish anywhere, and the beautiful gardens were lush and colourful. Coming in from the airport when I got home I thought Wellington looked messy by comparison.

One meeting was held in one of the beautiful open fales, which allowed the air to circulate and a fairly comfortable temperature, while the other was held in a rather inadequately air-conditioned room.

Physical access in Samoa is minimal, as there are few footpaths and most buildings especially the churches I saw had lots of steps. There is still much to do also in terms of education, and support services. Sadly disabled people seem to be the last in line when it comes to inclusion in mainstream development aid, but I am pleased to see that NZAID has a good reputation and is funding small practical grassroots projects to help disabled people’s organisations.

Despite the, heat, the long hours of work, the usual tummy troubles, and almost being caught up in a near riot between warring schools, (over rugby) it was a great trip. We were there to help build capacity in Pacific disability organisations. We met some stunning people, and I hope we were of use to them.

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Filed under Disability Issues, Disability Rights, Travel, Women