ACCLAIM Otago Response to ODI

8th November 2018

Response from Acclaim Otago Inc to the draft Government response to the List of Issues for the second reporting cycle before the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Comment on Government’s response to List of Issues (PDF document)

ACCLAIM Otago’s final report to the UN

With the support of the New Zealand Law Foundation, Acclaim Otago undertook a systemic review of ACC against the convention rights. This was included in the Interim Report and raised significant systemic questions that need to be answered in order to identify whether or not the scheme is achieving either its statutory purpose, or compliance with the CRPD. The evidence suggested that the ACC system is doing neither. The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities asked a number of questions of the New Zealand Government, including an important question about access to justice for persons with disabilities disputing ACC’s decisions.

Acclaim has analysed data from 600 New Zealanders, obtained via a publicly available on-line survey to gather data on individuals’ experiences to answer the question asked by the Committee. The survey confirmed that the issues Acclaim Otago identified in its Interim report are systemic.

Acclaim Otago has made three recommendations at the conclusion of this report and these are supported by independent experts in this field in New Zealand working in the ACC dispute resolution system.

Preparing and presenting these reports and collecting the voices of persons with disabilities covered by ACC has taken an enormous toll on our organisation, the individuals who have made this happen, and the people who have contributed their voices. Collectively, we have taken this as far as we can and given it everything. We would like to thank the people who have provided financial and emotional support. The cost of doing this cannot only be measured in financial terms, but without significant change, this process will never be able to be repeated. If the torch is going to keep burning, then the Committee and the Government will need to put in place the mechanisms to make this happen.

Dr Powell sending ACCLAIM Otago’s report to the UN

24 July 2014

ACCLAIM to produce report to the UN

In Dec 2010, ACCLAIM Otago submitted a report to the Office of the Disability Issues in the hope that the ODI would take into consideration the way in which the ACC policies and legislation contravene the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (UNCRPD). The ODI failed to include any of our concerns when completing their first monitoring report to the United Nations on the UNCRPD

ACCLAIM Otago applied to the Law Foundation for a grant to prepare a shadow report to the UNCRPD Committee and present it directly to them in Geneva next year. Our first attempt at applying for the grant in 2012 was unsuccessful, and having been advised that we were very close to succeeding, it was decided we reapply in 2013.

ACCLAIM Otago’s second attempt was successful in winning the NZ Law Foundation annual Shadow Report Award. To that end, we received a sum of money to have the report written and presented to the UN.