RNZFB supports public debate on workplace barriers for disabled

17 February 2012

The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) supports the call from Deaf Aotearoa and MP Mojo Mathers that more needs to be done to facilitate access in the workplace for people with disabilities.

RNZFB Chief Executive Sandra Budd says, "This is not about allocating funds to parties to meet MP's expenses; it's about an organisation meeting the needs of a disabled person in its midst.

"Sometimes that cost is financial, but other times it's simply re-organising processes and workloads. Either way, the cost is outweighed by what employing a person with disability can bring to the table. And that's the unique perspective, and with 20% of the population living with a disability, its incredibly important," says Sandra.

For more than 120 years, the RNZFB has equipped its members with the training, tools and tips they need to deal with blindness and lead independent lives.

One of its key services is providing support to its blind and partially sighted members seeking employment. The organisation does that by educating and informing employers to help break down barriers to employment.

Another aspect of that support is helping its members gain access to specific funding assistance. This is assistance which can go towards vital equipment which enables blind and partially sighted employees to fulfil their role in the same way as a sighted person.

Like Deaf Aotearoa, the RNZFB's strategic direction ties in with the work of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It takes a human rights approach to building an accessible and equitable society for blind and partially sighted and is thankful for the international precedents that guide the way.