Disability Connect

29/03/2026

What a fantastic information session we had last week for Woe to Go - our Work and Income explainer.

More than 65 disabled people and their families joined us in person and online, with many asking really important questions about support for their families.

Thank you to Sonja Eriksen and colleagues from the Ministry of Social Development for generously sharing your time and for being advocates for our community within Work and Income.

Shout out to our sign language interpreters from iSign too, for helping us keep our services accessible for all.

Unfortunately we're unable to share slides as the information does change. But keep a look out for a list of questions and answers for the evening that we intend to share in the near future.

Image description: Sonja stands with our CEO Mike in the Disability Connect office, smiling together. She has shoulder-length blonde hair, wears black-framed glasses and a colourful dress, and holds a bright pink walking cane. Mike, seated in his wheelchair, has short brown hair and wears dark blue pants and a white shirt with a green tree pattern.

26/03/2026

Looking for something fun to do with your whānau these school holidays?

Bring the whole family and join us for an interactive music therapy session at our next Parent Support Group event - this time during the day!

Music therapy uses music to help support wellbeing, communication and connection. Things like singing, playing instruments, listening, or moving to music can help people express themselves, build confidence, and connect with others in a fun and meaningful way.

Guided by a registered music therapist from Raukatauri, we’ll explore how music can support our minds and bodies. The session will focus on creating positive experiences for everyone, using a strengths-based approach that encourages families to remember and celebrate what their loved ones can do.

No special skills or musical experience are needed - everyone is welcome. It will be a supportive and encouraging environment where both children and adults can develop communication and socialisation skills.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/188WW9cHDW/

A promotional poster for the event. The text reads: “Music Therapy. Parent Support Group. Free social event for families! Facilitated by Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre. Wednesday 8 April 2026, 10:00am to 12:00pm. Mt Richmond Special School, 30 Albion Road, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland.” Large blue music notes appear alongside the text.

23/03/2026

"I learned what it means to accept the things I cannot change for now, and refrain from being a critical parent - choosing instead to be an unconditionally loving parent."

We had an uplifting Parent Support Group this month with counsellor Natalija Isailovic.

Using a model on human personality, she helped us to understand more about ourselves and the ways we interact with others.

We talked about our personal experiences and challenges as family carers. Hearing others share real stories from their own daily lives reminded us that we're not alone in this journey that often feels isolating.

The evening showed us that it’s possible to move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered. We are more capable than we think. And we have many caring families here in our community to encourage and support each other.

For those who couldn’t attend, here are a few takeaways:
• When we invest in our own wellbeing, we nurture not only ourselves but our children as well.
• The more we understand ourselves, the kinder we can be to ourselves - and kindness is what makes change possible.
• Noticing our inner voices allows us to change what no longer helps us.

Thank you Natalija for sharing your valuable strategies and for recognising the often-overlooked needs of family carers.

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Natalija speaks to a seated group in front of a large screen. Three audience members are visible, including Disability Connect CEO Mike in his wheelchair. The screen reads: “Evening Structure: Welcome and introduction. Understanding our inner voices. Real-life parenting examples. Practical exercise. Tools to take home.” The letters P, A, and C are displayed vertically along the side.

Image 2: A group of ten people sit in chairs, including Mike in his wheelchair, looking towards and listening to another parent in the audience who is speaking.

18/03/2026

"This presentation was insightful and well presented in terms of knowledge and the law. I would highly recommend this presentation to anyone in the disability community."

If your child is school-aged and you haven’t yet attended Nan Jensen’s popular webinar, Legal Issues in Education, dates for 2026 are now available.

This webinar will help you understand how to navigate disability rights within the school system. Nan will share information on enrolment, funding declines, stand-downs, the use of restraint, and other important legal issues that families may encounter.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ch47knFqd/

Image description: A promotional poster for the webinar. Text reads "Legal Issues in Education. Webinar. Enrolment rights, funding declines, stand-downs, use of restraint. Wednesday 25 March 2026, 11:30am to 2:00pm. Tuesday 4 August 2026, 6:30pm to 9:00pm." There's a photo of Nan Jensen smiling next to the text. She has short hair, and is wearing glasses and a floral blue top.

13/03/2026

This week the Government announced that from April, people using DSS flexible funding will have more choice in how they use their budgets.

More support will be available to help people plan and manage their funding, including for those with Hosts. Allocated budgets for flexible funding will stay the same as they are now. There will be no change, and no action is needed to prepare.

If you have questions following this news, or want someone to talk to, we invite you to join us at our weekly Zoom Support Group, hosted by our incredibly knowledgable Disability Information Advisor, Robyn.

This is a safe space where you can ask freely, share information and chat with other families in the community.

Check out our event page for more information, including how to join: https://www.facebook.com/share/1DJLkBvQa9/

Image description: Promotional graphic with the text: “Zoom Support Group. Mondays, 7pm to 8pm. Free for families.” In the middle is an illustration of a woman talking towards her laptop with a video icon floating next to her, and two other people in chat bubbles smiling.

08/03/2026

Families have told us they've had issues getting SESTA approval for students' travel to and from Special Schools. Other parents are struggling to access the Total Mobility Card for when they're unavailable to take their children to appointments or events.

Total Mobility is meant to support independence - but many tell us it’s confusing, inconsistent, and doesn’t meet real‑life needs.

We’re preparing a submission on the Government's Total Mobility proposal and want to hear from disabled people and their families.

What’s your experience? Is it easy to access? Does it cover the transport you actually need? What needs to change?

Your feedback will help us push for a system that truly supports disabled people and their whānau to live the lives they choose.

Share your thoughts in the comments or email us at admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz with "Transport" in the subject line by Sunday, 15 March 2026.

For more information on the proposal, go to the Ministry of Transport website: https://www.transport.govt.nz/consultations/proposals-to-strengthen-total-mobility

06/03/2026

Feeling exhausted, stretched thin, or unsure of yourself as a family carer? You are not alone!

Join us for our next Parent Support Group event, Overwhelmed to Empowered, a free workshop for family carers.

Counsellor Natalija Isailovic will share practical tools you can use to reflect, reconnect with your own needs, and understand why putting yourself first is not selfish - it’s essential for both you and your family.

We're hosting this in-person only event at Mt Richmond Special School in Ōtāhuhu. Registration is essential.

For more information, including how to register, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1H7Wje49cc/

Image description: A promotional poster for the workshop. Text reads "Overwhelmed to Empowered. Parent Support Group. Free workshop for family carers. Facilitated by Natalija Isailovic, Counsellor. Wednesday 11 March 2026, 6:30pm to 8:30pm. Mt Richmond Special School, 30 Albion Road, Ōtāhuhu, Auckland." There's a headshot of Natalija next to the text. She is wearing glasses and her hair is styled in a bun.

03/03/2026

Our Chinese Support Group, hosted by the wonderful Yoky, celebrated the start of Chinese New Year by making scented candles together.

Why candles? In Chinese tradition, light symbolises hope, warmth, and the driving away of darkness.

Lighting candles during the New Year represents illuminating the path forward and inviting positive energy (yang 气) into the home.

恭喜發財! Wishing everyone a happy new year as we enter the Year of the Horse!

Image descriptions:

Image 1: A collage of two group photos from the event, with about 20 members of the Chinese community smiling together.

Image 2: Group members sitting at tables with candle-making supplies. Yoky stands at the front, guiding the activity.

Image 3: Candles in glass mosaic holders, cooling in a fridge before the wicks are trimmed.

02/03/2026

If you're living with a disability or raising a child with a disability, join us on 19 March for a free information session on Work and Income supports.

Sonja Eriksen, Principal Disability Advisor, and colleagues at the Ministry of Social Development are joining us to cover:

• income and employment supports for disabled people (adults and children)
• how to navigate the application process
• and how to challenge decisions.

This is a great opportunity to hear directly from the Ministry of Social Development about how disabled people and their agents can navigate the system and get the support they need.

There will be time at the end of the session to ask questions related to Work and Income supports and processes.

For more information, including how to register for this free event, check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/share/17Kgepf3zc/

Image description: A promotional event poster. Text reads "Work and Income Explainer. Woe to Go. Understanding supports and challenging decisions. Thursday 19 March 2026. 7:00pm to 8:30pm. 3B Olive Road, Penrose, Auckland. Online via Zoom." There's an image of the backs of a group of people, both adults and children, with their arms around each other. One person is in a wheelchair.

27/02/2026

Fun moments from this month's Valentine's Day-themed Parent Support Group!

Image descriptions:

Image 1: Two Disability Connect team members, Cherie and Asoka, wearing red and pink Valentine’s Day accessories and posing in front of a Valentine’s Day-themed photo backdrop.

Image 2: A mother and her son smiling together, wearing Valentine’s Day accessories and holding artificial red roses in front of the photo backdrop.

Image 3: Asoka standing beside her son Indika, who is seated on a chair in front of the Valentine’s Day-themed backdrop.

23/02/2026

We're developing a submission on behalf of family carers on the new draft Carers’ Strategy Action Plan.

So far, the most common themes we've heard from you are:

• Carers feel unseen and undervalued: Agencies judge families, there are gaps in cultural safety, employers don't understand carer needs, and there's lots of information available but no real help.

• Health and wellbeing supports aren’t working: Funding is hard to use, respite is limited and inflexible, there's a lack of counselling/navigation support, social isolation is getting worse, and there's misunderstanding in communities.

• Carers are under constant financial strain: Caring is not recognised as real work, families lose long-term financial security, and there are barriers to employment and education.

• Data is unclear and inconsistent: There's no clear definition of “carer,” coordination across agencies is poor, and there are no wellbeing-focused measures.

In our submission, we're advocating for:

• A Carer Navigator to provide guidance and support
• Flexible, culturally safe respite options
• Financial security (including KiwiSaver options)
• Recognition of caring as real work
• Better data and accountability
• Stronger community and employer awareness

What do you think? Is there anything we're missing, or should change?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments or email admin@disabilityconnect.org.nz by 5pm, Wednesday 4 March.

For more information about the draft plan, visit the Ministry of Social Development’s website: https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publications-resources/consultations/carers-strategy-action-plan/draft-carers-strategy-action-plan.html

Graphic with question marks at the top and the text: “Carers’ Strategy Action Plan. Family carers - what do you think about our feedback?”

17/02/2026

As a parent‑led disability information service, we hear the stories behind the statistics.

Our South Auckland communities have always known that the challenges disabled people and their families face run far deeper than what government indicators capture.

Historic under‑reporting, constant movement between temporary living situations, fear of engaging with agencies, limited access to services, and a lack of clear, trusted information all widen the gap between official data and lived reality.

For people with intellectual disability - and for the families, whānau, and support networks who hold them up - the numbers only ever tell a fraction of the story.

We think of a 22‑year‑old Samoan man we know with an intellectual disability. He moved through six different suburbs across Auckland in just five years: Helensville, Orewa, Clover Park, Botany, Avondale and Papakura.

His life has been reduced to couch surfing and short‑term lodges, often alongside men nearly three times his age. That's not a foundation for identity, belonging, or wellbeing. It's not how any young person should be expected to grow, thrive, or feel part of a community.

At Disability Connect, we envision a world where disabled people and their families can live the lives they choose - with dignity, stability, and real opportunities to flourish. We remain committed to leading and influencing positive change so that stories like his become the exception, not the norm.

For more information on the research report, From Data to Dignity 2026 - Health and wellbeing indicators for New Zealanders with intellectual disability, go to the IHC website:

IHC’s research report reveals people with intellectual disabilities are experiencing poor outcomes in most areas of life.