Seeing disability differently: Ātea Disability 101

Disability is part of life in Aotearoa. One in four New Zealanders has a physical, sensory, learning, mental health or other disability. Yet despite how common disability is, many disabled people continue to experience barriers that can make everyday life, work and participation more difficult.

Sometimes those barriers are physical – a building that isn’t accessible, for example. But barriers can also come from attitudes, assumptions, communication and the way information, services and systems are designed.  

Importantly, disability isn’t always visible, and that’s where Ātea Disability 101 comes in.  

Ātea is an introductory workshop designed to help people better understand disability and the everyday experiences of disabled people in Aotearoa. Through the social model of disability, participants are encouraged to look beyond a person’s impairment and consider the barriers that society can create and, notably, what we can do to remove them.

The workshop explores practical ways to:  

• recognise attitude, physical environment and information barriers  

• understand the social model of disability  

• use positive, non-stereotyping language and imagery  

• identify barriers to inclusion and ways to reduce them  

• develop strategies to create more inclusive experiences for disabled people.  

One of the things that makes Ātea unique is the people who lead it. Each workshop is facilitated by people with experience of disability who bring their knowledge, insights and lived experience into the learning.

Ātea is relevant to anyone who interacts with disabled people, whether through their workplace, community or everyday life. It provides an opportunity to build understanding, challenge assumptions and think more deeply about how we can reduce barriers and create spaces where everyone can participate and belong.  

For many participants, this can be an opportunity to see disability from a different perspective. As one previous participant shared, “The people who led the training highlighted to me a lot of things I had never thought of because it wasn’t my personal experience.”  

The name Ātea can be understood as a place, space or time. In the context of the workshop, it represents a space where people can bring their authentic selves, share knowledge and experiences, and collectively explore how we can change the physical, psychological and spiritual spaces around us for all people.