Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

The establishment of a national advisory committee of disabled people to
advise the Minister of Transport
The development of national accessibility design performance standards
Industry wide training in disability awareness
Labour will investigate a passport for guide dogs, to enable blind international
travellers to have their papers easily recognised in a system accepted by other
countries.
Education, employment and training
The strongest contribution that a government can make to the potential and opportunities for
any young person is to ensure that they have access to high quality education, a successful
transition to employment, and appropriate support throughout this journey. A critical part of
that successful path is to ensure that all children are welcome, included and learning to their
full potential at their local regular school.
Ensuring that children with disabilities are able to receive quality education in an inclusive
environment is a priority for Labour. We believe that all children have the right to be
included in the general education system and to receive the individual support they require.
Schools and early childhood centres need to have the leadership, policies, structures and
skilled staff to be inclusive of all students and to ensure the best outcomes for children with
disabilities.
Individual Education Plans are developed with students with disabilities and their whānau.
They outline the student's goals and the timeframes, teaching strategies, resources,
monitoring and evaluation required to enable the student to meet those goals. Individual
Education Plans are an invaluable tool, but often they are written without being backed up by
the support and resourcing necessary to ensure the goals set by the IEPs are actually met.
Labour will increase support for the effective implementation of Individual Education
Plans for students with disabilities.
The physical presence of children with disabilities in schools does not ensure their
participation. For participation to be meaningful and lead to successful educational
outcomes, schools must value diversity and provide a supportive learning environment and
skilled teaching for all children. This means providing education for staff and sometimes
changing attitudes towards children with disabilities.
Labour will ensure that teachers and support staff receive pre-service and in-service
education on teaching children with disabilities to ensure the active participation and
learning of all children.
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