Why are we doing this project?

How health professionals think about, talk about and act around disabled people matters. The Project endorses the belief that increasing responsiveness to disability issues and disabled people is a way to develop the culture of an organisation or service.

• Promote awareness of disability needs and how best to support disabled people in their access of health services, to reduce barriers and ensure the best outcomes for the individual.
• Facilitate learning of the disability sector by health professionals to ensure that once disabled people have entered a primary health service, they are supported to access disability support services in the community.

Project Outcomes

The goal of the project is to provide Manaia Health PHO general practices with training and information that enhances their responsiveness to the disability sector and increases their understanding of the issues they, as a provider of primary health care, need to consider when working with disabled service users.

In many cases health professionals are required to act as intermediaries between health information and disability information, and for many, disability information and the disability sector is unknown territory. One of the Project outputs is to equip health professionals with the tools they need to perform this role.

Some success stories

• IRD Works
• Working together inproves access for disabled
• Bright spaces for disabled