Disability advocate Janice Lee says sustainable solution needed

Friday, 10 May 2019

Koha Kai founder Janice Lee at the Koha Kai Teaching Kitchen in Invercargill.

Koha Kai founder Janice Lee believes Southland will have a severe problem on its hands if 82 disabled people are out of work next month.

Lee is a strong advocate for looking after people with disabilities by helping them into the work force.

She set up Koha Kai, which was focused on 'creating social transformation within the disability sector through meaningful employment and education'.

A fellow organisation in the sector, Southland disAbility Enterprises, hit the headlines this week when it revealed it was not the preferred option to continue its recycling contract with WasteNet.

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SDE employ 82 disabled workers, with 70 per cent of its work coming from the WasteNet contract.

Lee said she was 100 per cent behind SDE and hoped it could still keep the contract.

However, if Southland's three councils ratify WasteNet's decision to go with another contractor, Lee believed it was imperative something else was sorted for those disabled people who might be out of work.

She hoped SDE could continue in the contract for a bit longer to allow Southlanders to investigate other opportunities for the workers who might be without a job.

'We need a long-term sustainable solution for them. Even if there is a transition period of, say, two years to help find that sustainable option,' Lee said.

Lee said she had talked to many councillors who were just as concerned, but they told her they had little information on the matter and were not in a position to comment because the tender process was still live.

What had been encouraging following the SDE revelation was the level of public support for the disability sector, Lee said.

Anne Potter, a former service manager in the disability sector, believed SDE's possible WasteNet contract loss could help spark a better alternative for the disabled workers.

However, Southland businesses would need to support them, she said.

'These people have been working in, at times, the most smelliest, dirtiest, coldest places in Invercargill. On hot days they still had to wear all their protective clothing.

'But here's the thing, the ones I know just love going to work. They love their fellow workers, they even hate being sick and having to stay at home.

'They want to be together, they want to have their lunch together and enjoy each others company. They love the socials,' Potter said.

'I am pleading with Southland businesses, could you talk to SDE about about giving them contract work, or much better still, employing them and making them one of your own team.

'I am telling you now, you would not only be doing something wonderful but you will be so much the richer for it.'

Disabled Persons Assembly national president Gerri Pomeroy declined to speak specifically about SDE.

However, she said if people with disabilities lost their jobs she hoped the community would make other jobs available and pay them minimum wage at least.

Change was difficult for everyone, including the disabled and their families, as routine was important.

'It's hard for disabled people to find work and that's because our contributions aren't valued the same as other people's.'

Society had changed and disabled people and their families, like everyone else, had to develop flexibility in the changing times, she said.