Western News: July 09, 2020

8 Thursday July 9 2020
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
WESTERN NEWS
News
Addressing the needs of disabled
• By Bea Gooding
LIVING WITH an invisible
disability produces its own
challenges, but it’s often an
uphill battle when it comes to
being treated as equal to others.
With Covid-19 throwing
more Cantabrians into financial
uncertainty, getting a job
and retaining it while having
disabilities such as Asperger’s
syndrome, attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder and
autism turns the experience into
an ordeal.
Facing discrimination and his
own struggles with Asperger’s
inspired disability advocate Nick
Stoneman to start the NZ Disability
Advisory Trust.
“We provide support for
those with neurological mental
health disorders, foetal alcohol
syndrome and now, physical
disabilities,” he said.
“The diagnosis pathway is convoluted,
so there needs to be an
agency on the ground that can
do advocacy work.”
The trust provided referrals to
appropriate agencies and advocated
for clients to the Ministry
of Social Development, along
with personal assessments before
a diagnosis.
It also held presentations and
workshops to further educate
those accessing their services.
Getting diagnosed by a mental
health professional was difficult
in itself; sometimes taking two
years for a child to get an assessment
which could result in a late
diagnosis.
Said Mr Stoneman: “It’s really
hard to get a diagnosis, they
[mental health] just refuse to talk
about it.
“The disability sector has been
ignored, we don’t get our voices
heard and we’re often underrepresented.
There’s just nowhere
to go.
“In NZ there’s about 90,000
adults on the spectrum between
the ages of 18 to 65.”
Although the lockdown was
difficult for some, Mr Stoneman
said the disability community
struggled in particular due to the
ADVOCATE:
Nick Stoneman
founded the
NZ Disability
Advisory Trust
to address
“injustices” in
the disability
community.
PHOTO: GEOFF
SLOAN
rapidly changing environment.
“One of the biggest barriers
is change, especially in routines
and social isolation. Some don’t
cope well in a new environment,”
he said.
Even though Mr Stoneman’s
Asperger’s – a form of autism
– was mild, he said coping was
another story.
“It’s actually really difficult
to cope because I’m reliant on
others, but overall it’s definitely
been a learning experience,” he
said.
“I’m now an autism educator
and I talk in the community;
it’s not as much of a stigma as it
used to be.”
The trust has kept him busy
over the last few months – a job
he can truly enjoy without fear of
discrimination.
“It’s a struggle to get jobs and
even harder to keep it by being
put in situations where we have
to reveal [symptoms], then face
discrimination.”
This often discouraged people
to seek employment in the first
place, contributing to a higher
number of the community on
benefits.
He encouraged more people
to get involved and support the
trust to educate themselves and
understand the importance of
inclusion.
Said Mr Stoneman: “We
want people to engage and
to be treated like normal,
everyday people. Showing
more compassion and working
alongside us in a professional
field is helpful.
“Start acknowledging that
mental disabilities actually exists
and that it’s not just limited to
the physical [disabilities].”
Paige in charge
Six-year-old Paige McLeod was made
the owner of a supermarket in what was
a shared birthday treat. The Bryndwr
girl spent her birthday running the West
Melton Four Square store, marking the
brand’s 96th anniversary. Paige’s mother,
Kylie Phaup-Stephens said it was a
birthday to remember. “It was a really,
really cool day. Paige was a bit shy at first
but she really warmed to it and I couldn’t
get her out of the shop in the end.” A Four
Square spokeswoman said when they
found out about Paige being their biggest
fan, they decided to make it a special
birthday for her.