Disability and Mental Health community
Supporting disabled people and people living with experience of mental distress to take part in the Royal Commission is important to our work. We make every effort to have respectful relationships with survivors and we offer individualised support.
The disability and mental health communities are made up of a diverse range of people and includes whānau, friends, and supporters. In te reo Māori a variety of words are used including tāngata whaikaha, tāngata whaiora, kapo, turi, whānau hauā and hunga hauā. We respect the rights of survivors to choose what words they want to use for themselves, including the wishes of some people to not use these labels.
It is crucial that disabled people and people living with experience of mental distress are included and supported to participate in this Commission.
Connecting with people
During the rest of the year the disability and mental health investigation team are holding a series of community events to get feedback that will inform the Royal Commission’s final report. We will be regularly meeting with a wide range of disabled people and people from the mental health communities. These connections give us opportunities to learn about what is important to each community in terms of care and we will feed through into the recommendations made in the disability and mental health interim report.
Contacts
If you would like to share your story or hear more about the Royal Commission you can speak to Lorna Sullivan, Chief Advisor Disability and Mental Health by emailing lorna.sullivan@abuseincare.org.nz.
If you need to speak with a different staff member, feel free to call our main contact centre on 0800 222 727.
Other information
Disability and mental health inquiries
