Disability group urges better access to district facilities
A southern disability action group has called on the Southland District Council to ensure everyone has access to its facilities, particularly as the population ages.
CCS Disability Action was one of the submitters at the council’s Long Term Plan hearing yesterday.
CCS Disability Action southern region access co-ordinator Mary O’Brien said a large number of Southlanders were excluded from basic areas of life because of their disability.
‘‘It’s good for us to review how disabled people feel in society; disabled people are significantly disadvantaged.’’
CCS Disability Action would celebrate its 80th anniversary this year, making it a good time to raise issues around disability access with the council, she said.
Figures from the 2013 census show more than 25 per cent of people in the southern district had a disability, while 59 per cent of people aged over 65 had a disability, she said.
Those numbers would only increase as the population aged, O’Brien said.
She recommended accessibility be addressed during upgrades and any new toilets the council constructed be made accessible to all people.
She also commended the council’s project to develop the map of Southland showing accessible facilities, labelling it a positive step for accessible tourism.
‘‘Some people are not going to go on the Southern Scenic Route if they can’t see where the accessible toilets are,’’ O’Brien said.
She also called on the council to review the availability of rural accessible transport, including buses between main centres and townships. ‘‘You can’t catch a bus from here [Invercargill] to Te Anau if you’re in a wheelchair.’’
People with disabilities were significantly disadvantaged in society, with higher unemployment rates, lower incomes, lower educational qualifications and poorer health, she said.
Disability was a broad term and something that was a challenge for a vision-impaired person may not be an issue for someone who used a wheelchair, she said.
‘‘I would like to see the council develop a way of consulting with people in the region with disabilities.’’
It was crucial for the council to be looking at disabled access at the beginning of any process to new infrastructure, she said.
‘‘A safe community includes all its members, and good accessibility does benefit everybody,’’ O’Brien said.
Sport Southland chief executive Brendon McDermott and general manager Vanessa Hughey said they wanted to strengthen Sport Southland’s working relationship with Southland District Council on six matters including the Around the Mountain Cycle Trail and the Learn to Swim programme.
Roslyn Rd residents included a 10-year plan in their submission with estimate costs for the road to be sealed. The submission calls for half of the 2.5km road to be sealed in the first five years, with the second half being completed in the next five years, costing $72,000 a year.
Public Health representatives put forward a submission from the Southern District Health Board for the council to consult with the service when reviewing changes to infrastructure which affect the public health community.
The council will hear six further submissions this morning and will spend two days deliberating.
After considering all the submissions, the council will make any amendments and adopt the final plan on June 24.