April updates

Kia ora and welcome to the first of our new monthly updates to keep members and our wider community informed as to what NDSA has been up to.

This month has seen a number of exciting developments.

We have had our final meeting with the interagency research team on the ‘Let's get accessible report’ that investigated ākonga with disabilities’ experiences of tertiary education. We are excited to share these enlightening results that showcase the lived experience of our members and peers. These will be published sometime in May to our website under the interagency research tab, where you can see the preliminary results, and literature review now. 

We also said goodbye to the amazing Leo He who served on the NDSA executive over the past two years as Vice President and as Administrative Officer, as he steps down to focus on other projects. We are so grateful to all the hard mahi Leo put into the organization and his fervent dedication to promoting accessibility, inclusivity, and quality education for not just students but all people with disabilities. We have welcomed in the wonderful Nevė Fern Billing as our new administrative officer. Nevė comes to us from many years advocating for her peers at Open Polytechnic and will bring a valuable perspective as a vocational learner to our executive. 

Furthermore, we were grateful to have attended Te Pukgenga’s wānanga for learners with disabilities. We used this opportunity to connect with our current members in the vocational and ITO space but also made exciting new relationships that will help us to ensure we support and represent students across all modalities of tertiary education.

Lastly, we are excitedly working towards our May events including hosting a hybrid training for members, who represent and lead students with disabilities at their respective institutions. This event will be a natural follow-up from our February hui and ensure they are equipped and supported to fulfill these roles.

Mā te wā, 

Alex, on behalf of the NDSA Executive.