Media Release- Embargoed until: 9am Tuesday 5th September

A national poll conducted by UMR commissioned and released today by the Access Alliance shows the vast majority of New Zealanders want action on improving accessibility for people with disabilities.

“It show’s Kiwi’s want the government to pass legislation breaking down the barriers that stop everyone having access all parts of society” Spokesperson Dianne Rogers said.

The poll of 750 people nationwide was conducted between the 19th and 25th July. It asked:
On a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 means strongly agree and 5 means strongly disagree, how strongly do you agree or disagree that the law should specify minimum standards for disability access?

80% of respondents agreed to some degree, with just 6% disagreeing.

The Access Alliance are advocating for a comprehensive Accessibility Act that legislates minimum enforceable standards as part of their Access Matters Campaign.

“Minimum standards for access to things like buildings and transport, as well as information and services are crucial in allowing Kiwi’s with disabilities into the workforce and to fully take part in society“ said Ms Rogers.

“Accessibility legislation will be an invaluable step towards making this access real. That’s why we are campaigning for Government to introduce the Accessibility for New Zealanders Act.”

The campaign is calling for all political parties to commit to introducing this legislation in the next parliamentary term. So far the group has seen commitments from the Green, Labour, and Maori parties and other announcements are expected before the election.

The polling also asked about the prevalence of accessibility issues in New Zealand.

31% of people identified as had, or currently having, an injury, health problem, or other disability
Of those who have or have had a disability:
17% said they experienced having information not be available in a format that they could use, as a result of their disability.
16% said they experienced difficulty getting on and off public transport.
16% said they experienced difficulty getting in and out of buildings.
34% said they had experienced at least one of the above.

The Access Alliance is asking all New Zealanders who care
Download the full report from UMR here.

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About The Access Alliance
The Access Alliance is a collaborative of twelve national disabled people’s organisations, disability service providers, community organisations and disability advocates, working together to remove the barriers disabled New Zealanders face and build a New Zealand that is accessible to everyone. Collectively, the members assist over 763,000 New Zealanders.
The Access Alliance members include Auckland Disability Law, Blind Foundation, CCS Disability Action, Deaf Aotearoa, Disabled Person’s Assembly, Parents of Vision Impaired New Zealanders, Inclusive New Zealand, Kāpō Māori Aotearoa, Blind Citizens New Zealand, National Foundation of the Deaf, People FIrst, and the Cerebral Palsy Society. Other organisations are invited to join.

For more information, go to accessalliance.org.nz

For more information and interview requests contact:
Kristin Gillies
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 021 065 8460