One In Five for Sunday 29 May 2011

Disability Studies conference a first for New Zealand

An upcoming Disability Studies conference has the theme 'Every Body In'. And according to one of the organisers, Dr Gill Rutherord it'll be the first time that anybody who has an interest or involvement in disability issues and social justice can come together. The conference, to be hosted in Dunedin in November, will feature keynote speakers, including Dr Tom Shakespeare, and will provide an opportunity for a variety of presentations and papers. Abstracts are now being sought with a closing date at the end of June.

Trialling the Health Passport

Disabled people covered by the Capital & Coast and Hutt Valley DHBs now have an opportunity to try out using the Health Passport. That's a Health & Disability Commissioner sponsored project to see whether patients will get a better deal from health services if they carry key information about themselves, with that information being available to doctors and nurses. Rosie McLeod and Dr Pauline Boyles (right) talk about their hope that by making disability needs known at the outset, a trip to the doctors or hospital won't be such an ordeal.