I am grateful for the opportunity to lead a membership organisation that is dedicated to supporting people with intellectual disabilities and their families to lead satisfying and fulfilling lives.
“I had a dream to go to the World Games and win gold,” said Invercargill powerlifter Lynett Williams at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin in June.
IHC’s game app to help young people with intellectual disabilities learn to manage money – and life – is being put through its paces by students in some Wellington secondary schools.
With the General Election only two months away, IHC is turning up the heat on election candidates to commit to fairer treatment of disabled students in schools.
Researchers working for IHC are now finalising a report that for the first time in years presents a much clearer picture of what it means to have an intellectual disability in New Zealand.
“When someone knocks on the door to ask for some sugar, we always give more,” says Lee Taniwha (Waikato Tainui, Ngāti Maniapoto), who is always ready to help his Accessible Properties neighbours in Auckland.
Philip Poulton was 10 years old when he went to live in Kimberley Hospital in Levin in 1967. He was the second eldest of five children from a family farming at Rangiwiu Station at Kumeroa, near Dannevirke, and he had Down syndrome.
Students who might finish secondary school with no formal qualifications are now leaving with awards that recognise their skills and community connections.