IHC and the Ministry of Education have settled a landmark litigation case to enable the New Zealand education system to work better for disabled students.
The settlement resolves a claim filed by IHC under the Human Rights Act 1993 in 2012 alleging that Government education policies led to discrimination of disabled students in local schools.
It includes an agreement that the Ministry of Education will progress a Framework for Action designed by IHC, and that the Ministry will establish a stakeholder group to monitor that progress and ensure it is grounded in lived experience. There is more information on both, including how people can apply to join the stakeholder group, on the IHC website.
Disabled students have not had an equitable opportunity to enjoy a meaningful education in New Zealand, and this settlement is part of fixing that. This is a strong starting point for long-term improvements to how the government supports disabled students learning at their local school.
IHC chief executive, Andrew Crisp