Feature
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A beautiful vision
By Gemma O'Sullivan
In a light-filled room, overlooking a busy stretch of Auckland's Queen Street, Minnie Baragwanath is working around the clock on an ambitious campaign to change New Zealand for the better.
I'd glimpsed Minnie just once before this interview; magnetic and striking in a rainbow coloured coat, she had radiated charisma. But she is also much more than that. Warm, intelligent, bubbling with enthusiasm, and incredibly honest about herself, I left the interview with the impression that Minnie is not just a dreamer – she's a visionary.
Minnie, who is herself legally blind, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Be. Institute, a social enterprise set up to inspire and enable an accessible New Zealand, for the 20 percent of our population who are living with a disability.
Be. was founded when Auckland Council, Auckland University of Technology and Auckland District Health Board collaborated to lend their support and credibility to Minnie's vision. But while its beginning has been in Auckland, the future of Be. is in all corners of the country: "It's about New Zealand becoming a place where all people can reach their full potential," says Minnie.
The Be. Institute has launched with two programmes: Be. Accessible, which is focused on the tangible aspects of accessibility and Be. Leadership, aimed at developing disabled leaders of the future. The RNZFB is working closely with the Be. Institute, to provide expertise in accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.
Already these initiatives have gained significant support, with $4million of Government funding allocated over four years to Be. Accessible.
One of the aims of Be. this year is to leverage the Rugby World Cup by addressing the accessibility of key locations on the tourist trail. This is a pilot programme for Be. Accessible:
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"The Rugby World Cup is an opportunity to create a legacy. But it doesn't stop there," says Minnie.
With the World Cup fast approaching, the Be. team has its work cut out. But as Minnie admits, she's never shied away from a challenge.
Minnie says this stems back to her childhood, growing up with Stargardt's disease, a form of macular degeneration, when she was often frustrated by things that held her back. "Being born with Stargardt's has really helped to shape who I am. It has provided a lens on the world."
She was diagnosed at 15, and it was at this time that she came into contact with the RNZFB. Her first encounters with staff were characterised by great support and positivity which Minnie believes was critical to building her confidence.
Over the years she has formed many strong friendships through the RNZFB, and even went on a memorable sailing trip with a group of members. Later, while completing a Bachelor of Communications, the RNZFB assisted Minnie through adaptive technology support and transcription of texts into accessible formats.
Photograph: Minnie at Be. Launch.
Like all of us, Minnie has gone through difficult and stressful times, and has had to overcome obstacles. But these have been important
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experiences: "Learning to be comfortable with myself has been my biggest challenge. That plays a crucial role in how others behave around you as well. I'm a believer in self-knowledge".
She has learnt other lessons too, such as accepting the things she's unable to change, while taking action on those things she can affect.
Minnie hopes that through her work, and by being all she can be, others will feel they can shine too. She is a firm believer in the value disabled people can offer, which is a paradigm shift from the 'receiver' mentality that often exists around disability.
"Disabled people bring a different perspective to the world. Disability forces us to think creatively."
But society too has a role to play in unlocking this potential, and Minnie believes some things urgently need to change: "Access to information, a greater willingness to understand differences, and barriers to employment – all of these things are key," she says.
Before returning to the chaos of Queen Street, I asked Minnie what advice would she give others? To be honest, I was hoping to glean a little life advice myself. "Just go for it," Minnie responded. "Believe in yourself, and the unique perspective and life experience you bring to every situation. And especially, in the disability community, we need to learn to be better at supporting one another."
In other words, Be. the change.