Around 24% of New Zealanders are disabled/tāngata whaikaha, according to the last census, and anyone can experience disability at any time in our lives. This means that considering and attending to disabled staff and students' needs is an essential part of ensuring FMHS is an equitable and inclusive place to work and study. These resources may be helpful to disabled staff and students and to anyone who wants to improve disability equity within the Faculty.

University resources

Information for disabled staff

The University Equity Office has produced information for disabled staff.

Student Disability Services

Student Disability Services provides support and resources for students with a wide ranges of disabilities and impairments.

Accessibility on campus

The University has developed some information about general accessibility, which includes aspects of accessibility relevant to disabled people.

Waipapa Taumata Rau Disability Action Plan

The University has developed a Disability Action Plan 2022-2025, which decribes how the principles of Taumata Teitei will relate to people with disabilities working and studying at Waipapa Taumata Rau. This plan is now in the process of being implemented, in consultation with a number of reference groups. For more information about the plan and its implementation, you can see the Disability Action Plan pages on the University website.

Disabled Staff Network

The Disabled Staff Network/Network for Staff with Disabilities (DSN) is a group focusing on the experiences and concerns of University staff of all roles who identify as disabled. The DSN is not part of any formalised university structure, but more ‘by us, for us, about us’ and our experiences within the university as disabled staff. The DSN is chaired by Professor Ginny Braun and holds informal, community-discussion oriented meetings - but the group is also developing other activities in response to members' priorities. To find out more or to join this network, contact Emma Sadera in the first instance.

General resources

What is disability?

This short video introduces (some of) the meanings of disability.

Office for Disability Issues

The Office for Disability Issues is the government department with responsibility for issues affecting disabled people/tāngata whaikaha, and their website includes a range of useful resources.

Disabled Persons' Assembly NZ

The DPA is an organisation run by and for disabled people working to achieve equity and inclusion in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Disability Confidence 101: this course is part of the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) Kia Orite toolkit and is freely available through Achieve.

If you have other resources you would like to see here, please get in touch (email Emma Sadera).