The Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind (the Foundation) is a disability support service constituted under the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind Act 2002. It is the primary provider of habilitation and rehabilitation services to over 11,500 blind, deafblind and vision-impaired New Zealanders. More than two-thirds of those members are over the age of 65.

The Foundation's vision is that blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people have the same opportunities and choices as other citizens to participate fully in society. Our mission is to remove the barriers faced by individuals and to promote their participation in all aspects of life. We work with a variety of partners to ensure the incidence of preventable blindness is minimised.

Services we provide include specialist assessments, orientation and mobility training for adults and children, communication and adaptive technology instruction, guide dog services, talking book and braille library services, instruction in the skills of adaptive daily living, and vocational services. We operate services specific to the needs of Māori and of Pacific Island communities. Each year thousands of volunteers give direct support to Foundation members and contribute to the Foundation's work in general. We provide advice and training on access and disability issues to a wide range of public and private organisations.

Within its business and strategic planning the Foundation is committed to continuous improvement in service delivery. This includes researching the needs of older members and further refining its service delivery to meet those needs.

Accountability to members

Members of the Foundation are blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people who choose to register with the Foundation to receive its services. Foundation members directly elect the Board of Directors and can participate in consultations around strategic and business planning. As an organisation which is accountable to its membership, the Foundation encourages member feedback, supports a network of Community Committees at the local level, and works in partnership with nine consumer organisations that undertake a range of advocacy activities.

Submission to the draft Community Plan

The Foundation notes the vision of the North Shore and its desire to offer education and employment opportunities, to be easy to move around and be safe.  We recommend that consideration be given to inclusiveness within the vision; not just of other cultures but of people with a range of disabilities.  In particular we observe that the population of the North Shore is aging.  For many elderly people in the North Shore community vision-loss will become one of the changes they may need to adjust to. A well-designed built environment can increase their ability to participate in the community.

Physical and social barriers "disable" people by affecting mobility, access and participation.  It is possible to reduce barriers by: 

Using universal design principles and best practice on access for disabled people especially in town centres and major leisure, cultural and community facilities and thereby increase the accessibility of public buildings and facilities

Ensuring that people who are unable to use cars including young people, older people and people with disabilities can achieve the mobility they need by:

• Encouraging community based transport options
• ­Encouraging neighbourhoods to establish walking buses
• ­Developing well designed public transport infrastructure
• Informing people of available transport subsides
• ­Ensuring pedestrian safety through a variety of means including pedestrian crossings and planting design, scheme and maintenance
• Making information accessible, and
• Providing effective employment opportunities for blind and vision-impaired individuals.

The Foundation considers that the enhancements that improve the City for blind and vision-impaired members of the community will also significantly benefit other members of the community.

Recommendation 1: Design must ensure the accessibility of public buildings and facilities.

The concept of universal design principles should be included in the final Plan. We note that:

A fully accessible built environment is one in which any person can freely, and with dignity, express their independence, and one in which any impediment is removed. In relation to the built environment, it is essential that all people can pursue an uninterrupted path of travel, free of any steps, stairs or other impediments, to, in, and through premises; and to be able to utilise services, facilities and programs offered to the general community, in a dignified and equitable manner.[1]

Public buildings must adhere to Building Standard 4121.

Public facilities, including meeting rooms, should be located on a ground floor or otherwise accessible without the use of a lift to minimise the risk of loss of life in the event of a fire.

Specifically, we recommend that accessibility of community services and facilities be included in the measures recorded and monitored by the City.

We also recommend that all North Shore City Council facilities be audited to ensure that they are accessible for blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people. This audit should include all Council owned or managed property.

Recommendation 2: The Foundation recommends that public transport planning increases accessibility for blind and vision-impaired individuals

In addition to 'roading' solutions there must be an effective public transport network and safe access to buses, trains and taxis.

Buses and trains should have talking destination announcements.

Lighting and other safety factors must be designed to enhance the safety of all transport users, including the blind and vision-impaired.

The location of taxi ranks, bus stops and bus shelters need to be accessible for blind passengers.

Recommendation 3: Pedestrian safety must be paramount.

Pedestrian right-of-way areas should be planned.

Sufficient and appropriately designed crossings should be planned.

Audible traffic signals should be installed.

Sufficient free space on footpaths needs to be ensured.

Road and Traffic Safety Guideline 14 should be adopted by council as policy rather than as a guideline.

Plant selection should avoid those plants that are likely to develop rooting systems that could cause a hazard.

Overhanging plants should be avoided where these may interfere with the unobstructed movement of the blind or vision-impaired pedestrian.

The Foundation can advise on creating accessible environments that are safe for its members to navigate.

Recommendation 4: Information relating to the City and other community information needs to be available in a range of accessible formats. 

Efforts to ensure the accessibility of information should consider the needs of blind, deafblind, and vision-impaired citizens who find it difficult to access society's written information. The high cost of adaptive technology (such as the talking screen readers that read out in synthesised speech what a sighted person would see on a computer monitor) can be a barrier between individuals and information available on websites. Efforts should be made to ensure that information relating to the City and other information is provided through a range of accessible formats.

The Foundation can advise further on accessible information options and resources.

Recommendation 5: Efforts should be made to educate the community regarding the employment of blind and vision-impaired individuals.

Community planning provides the Council with the opportunity to think innovatively about the steps it can take to partner with agencies to change community attitudes towards the employability of disabled people.

Specifically, we recommend that the unemployment (employment) rate measured include 'by disability'.  

The Council should act as a model employer by employing more people with disabilities.

The Foundation operates a range of training services which may be of interest to the Council.

Recommendation 6: Efforts that ensure the community is aware of, and conforms to, the rights of blind and vision-impaired individuals must be taken.

New settlers will be part of the future City. While the Foundation welcomes the new settlers, we wish to ensure that the new settler community is aware of fundamental rights of New Zealand citizens including those contained in the Human Rights Act 1993. Efforts to promote awareness and reinforcement of other specific legislation such as the Dog Control Act 1996 should be taken.

Conclusion

In summary, the Foundation acknowledges the effort that has gone into preparing the draft City Plan and the City’s consultation efforts.

The Foundation recommends that particular attention be taken in design and community development that will enhance the inclusion, autonomy and independence of the blind, deafblind and vision-impaired people within the community.

Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the draft City Plan. The Foundation would welcome the opportunity to speak to this submission.  Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss matters raised in our submission. Our contact for this purpose is:

Ruth Bijl
Manager Research and Planning
Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
Private Bag 99941
Newmarket
AUCKLAND

09 355 6894
027 542 3523
rbijl@rnzfb.org.nz

[1] Understanding Access Obligations for Development and Building Staff. published by Access Audits Australia. See http://www.accessauditsaustralia.com.au/access_awareness_handbooks.html.