The D*List dreams bigger 🕺

Plus: Ranking airport wheelchairs 🫣

Mauri ora e te whānau!

Piki mai, kake mai! 💪🏽 This week, The D*List officially welcomed four new kaimahi: Ella Sargison (Community Hub Manager), Eda Tang (Editorial Producer), William Sangster (Editorial Producer), and Cooper McGregor (Social Media Manager). You can read more about these cool folks on our website.

Dazzling new D*List kaimahi (from left): Ella Sargison, Eda Tang, William Sangster, Daxter and Cooper McGregor.

You may have noticed in the last few newsletters, OG newsletter editor Olivia Shivas’ sign-off has mysteriously disappeared. 👻 (Don’t worry, she’s ok). But now I’m ready to reveal that it is I, Eda, who will be delivering these to your inbox every Friday. Tēnā koutou katoa!

💭 Earlier this week, we spotted this social campaign promoting workplace inclusion from across the ditch. The Australian Disability Network released a video titled: “It’s Not Hard to be Inclusive” to kick off their ‘Choose Inclusion’ campaign. 📼

It’s targeted towards non-disabled managers to challenge workplace barriers and promote disability inclusion. The campaign video begins with the two hosts (comedians and advocates Madeleine Stewart and Sam Wade) sharing some of their all-too-relatable experiences, like people asking intrusive questions and making assumptions about what we can and can’t do. It’s a bit of a middle finger towards ableism ✊😤 But then, the hosts then pivot into listing reasons businesses should hire disabled people, which included points like, improved brand reputation, increased productivity and higher employee retention rates.

Comedian Madeleine Stewart features in The Australia Disability Network’s campaign.

While the burden of improving your company’s reputation, being extra productive and never leaving your job feels like a lot of responsibility to place on disabled people, we get what they’re trying to do. Could this have been framed in a different way that honours the full spectrum of how we show up in the world? Hit that reply button and share your whakaaro!

🥅 Where’s the goal? For football fan Jonno Ross, wheelchair accessibility at sports stadiums is the first goal. Ross is working with Go Media Stadium to add a wheelchair-accessible area in the South Stand where his supporters group, The Port, is based, with the hope to spark conversations about accessibility at sporting events around the country.

🎤 Norway has launched TVA BRA, the world’s first TV station run by and for people with learning disabilities. Every week, an hour-long magazine programme covering news, entertainment and sport is broadcasted on a major Norwegian streaming platform as well as TV BRA’s own app and website.

🛩️ Is it a bondage device or an airport wheelchair? It can be hard to tell with these contraptions. We ranked some airport wheelchairs on a trip from Tāmaki Makaurau to Ōtautahi. Spoiler alert: the Buttcheek Express came last 🥲

…the aisle chair that cuts costs just like your budget airline. It’s sleek in design and slim in cushioning. You might get to rest your legs if they’re long enough, but make sure you buckle up in case the flight attendant lets go of the handle and the auto brake sends you flying.

Don’t just take our word for it. What are your best/worst airport experiences? 🦮 If anyone has any tips and tricks for travelling, let us know so that we can share this with the community! 📩

👯‍♀️ WTF is DAT??? Wellington’s DAT Fest, previously known as DAFT (Disabled Artists’ Festival of Theatre) is here for its third year with an absolutely wild programme. I talked to the duo, ‘Creatif’ Kate Spencer and Susan Williams on what it was like organising a festival not just for disabled, but by disabled people.

📍Following the Abuse in Care Inquiry, survivors of abuse in care and their plus one are invited to register their interest to attend a concurrent public apology event on Tuesday 12 November from 9am to 2pm. The public apology to survivors of abuse in care will be livestreamed from Parliament to the:

• Due Drop Events Centre, Tāmaki Makaurau

• TSB Arena, Shed 6, Pōneke

• Christchurch Town Hall, Ōtautahi

You can register your interest to attend the event closest to where you live, by calling 0800 717 017 (8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday) or emailing contact@abuseinquiryresponse.govt.nz. Registration closes 4:30pm Thursday 31 October but you can also turn up on the day. Accommodation, travel and food costs will be covered. Travel assistance will be provided in forms of air travel, petrol vouchers, gift cards, and train, and bus tickets.

Iti nei, iti nei 👣

Eda Tang