Strong Voices

If you have visited the IHC website recently, you will have noticed some changes.

While you were enjoying a summer holiday, we were quietly launching a new website designed to make it easier for families, whānau and everyone else to find what they are looking for.

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For years IHC has been telling the Government that disabled students are not getting the education they are entitled to.

Now, just when IHC’s 14-year-old education complaint is getting close to a hearing in the Human Rights Review Tribunal, there has been a change of heart.

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IHC Chair Tony Shaw says this year the organisation will focus on providing a clearer role for IHC Associations and the Member Council and improving communication with all members.

In December, Tony told members that an independent review of the IHC Member Council and IHC Associations had suggested some changes in approach.

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The winning moment for Dunedin photographer Callum Flett came on a gloomy day in the middle of the pandemic. The Dunedin Railway Station was a good place to find shelter. It was a good place to find inspiration too.

Mark Warner’s ‘slice-of-life’ drawings of people have earned him the top prize in the IHC Art Awards for the second time.

The word ‘jolt’ can mean shocking someone or something into change. And change is something that drives Christchurch-based dance company Jolt.

Emily Webber takes over her mum’s kitchen with the confidence of a young woman who has worked at the bench many times before.

For 40 years, the IHC Opportunity Shop has offered great deals to raise funds for people with intellectual disabilities.

Rochelle Waters and Joel Forman are part of Move, a programme run by Christchurch-based dance company Jolt.

The last time we had comprehensive information on the health of New Zealanders with intellectual disabilities was a Ministry of Health report in 2011. That is about to change. After hearing there was no plan to update the Health Indicators for New Zealanders with Intellectual Disability report, IHC has commissioned a research team to do the job.