Is ‘Cripping up’ OK?

Focused on a brighter future

Jonathan Mosen MNZM has spent his life proving a point. Born totally blind and hearing impaired, pe...

A look back on disability history...

Sometimes you have to look backwards to see the positives in life. Our world is far from perfect, bu...

Beyond the Limb - New Zealand amputees talk phantom pain

Phantom pain is real and it's intense. But what is it? Attitude talks with high profile NZ amput...

Will's take on the 'Minimum Wage Exemption'

Reacting to the latest recent episode of Alice Snedden’s Bad News (by @The Spinoff), Will offers ...

Having Cerebral Palsy...

To celebrate World Cerebral Palsy Day, Will shares some insight into what it is like to live with CP...

Story of a Scar

Most people have scars. Innocently obtained in childhood, these pink purple lines are reminders of t...

Anne Hawker on Disability Employment...

Anne Hawker, the Principal Disability Adviser at the Ministry of Social Development on disability em...

NZ Transport report reveals what disabled Kiwis already know

In August, NZ Transport released their report investigating the experiences of disabled Kiwis using ...

Finding my Tongan Identity

It is a time for us to celebrate all things Tongan - our art, dance, culture, traditions, and spoken...

Queer Pride is Disabled Pride

Team NZ back Paralympic yachting return

With Auckland being the #CityofSails and New Zealand dominating the sport in recent times, Attitude ...

At the Intersection: Mamie McDonald

Disability Employment - The Experience

Disability employment is a hot topic right now with Stats NZ recently releasing the breakdown of emp...

Pride & Prejudice: Are queer spaces accessible?

Heard The News?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made a historic ruling. From mid-October, millions of Amer...

'Safe’ Spaces

Takatāpui artist inspired by Te Ao Māori: Misty Frequency

Dina Bassile... Moving to a new beat

Dina, who has Cerebral Palsy, was just a kid when she fell in love with live music. It was clear acc...

Kurt's Ironman Journey - Man of speed

Kurt Peterson is a self-proclaimed adrenaline addict. He lives life to the fullest and there’s no wa...

Launch of the New Ministry for Disabled People - My Take

On July 1st, the Government will officially launch the New Ministry for Disabled People. This Minist...

Down for Love - My Take

Dating with a disability has been showcased in several primetime television and Netflix series in re...

What is the Royal Commission of Inquiry?

How could children and vulnerable people be mistreated, neglected and abused in State care? The pain...

Autism Awareness Month - An Authentic Perspective

During April, the world celebrates Autism Awareness Month... celebrating the differences and promoti...

Travelling to Iceland with Blindness

Here is Mary Fisher's experience travelling to Iceland

Opinion: Think About 'Me, Before You'

We love seeing disability representation in the media but is there a wrong way to do it?

Incredible India

Travelling in India, a woman alone in a wheelchair - impossible, I thought.

Cripple - Redefining A Word

Disability language can be tricky. Alice Mander discusses some of the issues around how we use langu...

Invisible Privilege

We've all heard of invisible disabilities, now Alice introduces us to the world of invisible privile...

Inclusion, Why Bother?

Which is the better option? Half-hearted inclusion or straight up honesty?

Getting "Riggy With It"

Jonny Wilkinson shares his experiences with taking a moment and sitting still.

Immigration and Perspective

Should disability affect your chances of living in NZ?

What's Your Possibility? Muskaan Devta

Shakti recently got to interview some young disabled people, hoping to learn more about the differen...

Marketing For Everyone

How does inclusive marketing help the disabled community?

The Art of Saying "Hi"

What does real inclusion look like? Colleen Brown shares a story about how it can be as simple as s...

Who Cares, Stare!

Shakti has been on Attitude ever since he was a kid. He recently became a presenter for the show Who...

Token Cripple: The Ego of Disability

Living with a disability comes with expectations. Are these valid? Alice Mander reckons we should ch...

Gaps in the System

Jonny Wilkinson reveals the gaps in our system that often affect people with disabilities.

The Freedoms Campaign

Cerebral Palsy Youth Alliance Freedoms Campaign is a social movement by young disabled kiwis living ...

Activist Festival 2020

Activist Festival, is a brand new event aimed to bring people with disabilities together, to improve...

Dating Disabled

Relationships require a lot of give and take. In this blog, Alice Mander discusses the misconception...

Accessible Education - Are We Doing Enough?

Accessibility in education always has room for improvement. Jonny Wilkinson highlights some of the i...

The Beauty of Belonging

Grace Stratton writes about the need to value people for who they are and what they bring.

Generation What? Millenials have their say.

Generation What? is a global survey capturing a snapshot of youth voices. Shakti from Attitude got i...

Lets go to Treasure Island!

Attitude ambassador Rebecca Dubber tells us all we need to know about travelling to Fiji with a whee...

Unpicking the Disability Budget

Of the $111 billion outlined by the Government in 2019 budget, $548 million of that will be spent on...

Blog: Smart Drive Drama

Rebecca details what it's like travelling with essential wheelchair gadgets.

Blog: Where's my Wheelchair?

Rebecca shares her story about travelling with a wheelchair.

Kids Get Active Activity Day

Rebecca Dubber attended an event targeted towards young people with amputations to connect through s...

Blog: When things don't go to plan

On a first date, Rebecca thought she'd been stood up. Locked behind a pair of large glass doors for ...

Celebration Project

NZ has 209 Paralympians. An elite club when you consider there over 14,000 people have climbed Evere...

Building a Community

Grace Stratton writes about the importance of a strong community, in real life and online.

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Life as a Paralympian: The Decision

Rebecca explains how she came to the decision to retire from her Para swimming career.

Life as a Paralympian: The Injuries

Rebecca looks back on the injuries and surgeries she had over her swimming career.

Life as a Paralympian: The Journey

Rebecca reflects on her career as a Paralympic swimmer.

Disabling Perceptions and Getting on with Uni

Advice from a recent graduate for new students with disabilities.

Keeping Joe Public engaged in disability issues

Jonny Wilkinson addresses some constructive criticism (with a big sigh).

Accessibility: Musts for Rental Listings

Rebecca Dubber takes on the task of finding a wheelchair-accessible rental.

Being Memorable Has Its Downsides

Jonny Wilkinson reflects on how being so easily recognised means he has to try extra hard not to be ...

Embracing Hindsight

Former NZ Top Model, Danielle Hayes uses the power of hindsight to gain clarity for her future.

Update: The battle for our daughters education

Two years ago I wrote here about my daughter Ellen and our family’s two year battle to get her into ...

An Award Like This Gets You Thinking

Colleen Brown, 2018 Attitude Hall of Fame Inductee, reflects on how far New Zealand has to go on its...

Teaching from Inspiration

The experience of winning the Supreme Award pushed Melanie Sloane to travel the world and teach inte...

Jonny Wilkinson: The goth, gearhead years

In light of our recent web series Crips in Cars, Jonny takes a cruise down memory lane.

Lost Baggage, Emotional Baggage

Jonny Wilkinson is well aware that international travel is no walk in the park, and travel with a mo...

My Thoughts On St Lucy's

Colleen Brown wonders, are parents better supported by schools like St Lucy's?

You are never going to believe this…

Lisa Smith could write a book about parenting a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. And you'...

How random is your act of kindness?

Genuine random acts of kindness can spread a lot of happiness. But where's the line between random...

The Sword of Damocles

Recently beating cancer, David Downs enjoys life and puts any worry of its return to the sword.

The Child Disability Allowance: is that an echo

Taking the humiliation out of disability support services.

Blog: Human Rights Aces Free Speech

Free speech should be treated with respect.

Robert Martin UN 2021 Test

Robert Martin has been an active disability advocate for decades.

Blog: Standing at the Podium

Grace Stratton is a law student with a passion for fashion. She explains how both industries have wo...

Blog: Uni With A Disability 101

A how-to guide for your first year at university.

Blog: Let’s start a movement!

I’d like to start a people-centred movement.

Blog: Why Fern Iconography Has Been Ruined For Me

Henrietta Bollinger writes about her relationship with disability rights.

Blog: When Reality TV Doesn't Reflect Reality

Thane Pullan isn't impressed by the inhabitants of Heartbreak Island.

Blog: Language Matters

Alice Mander writes about how language shapes identity.

Blog: A Children's Book about Bullying

Steff Green has written a book to help kids deal with bullying.

Blog: Travelling to Morocco in a Wheelchair

World traveller Jan Jarvis writes about her incredible trip to exotic Morocco.

Opinion: Accountability and Special Education

What will it take for schools to be fully inclusive of kids with disabilities?

Blog: Making Parliament Accessible To All

A new accessibility bill has been presented to New Zealand Parliament.

Blog: Bravery

I wish I had known that it was brave to be afraid.

O’Connor takes flight

Nearly 10 years after his accident, O’Connor Buckley is excited to start his next chapter in life, f...

Blog: Epic Adventures in a Wheelchair

Evan writes about some of the adventures he's experienced in life.

Blog: The Accessible Arts Festival

Accessibility in Action Looks Like the Auckland Arts Festival.

Opinion: What Accessibility Means To Me

In this blog, advocate Áine Kelly-Costello writes about about accessible design.

Blog: O Sleep, the certain knot of peace

Marcus lives with chronic pain and faces a dilemma nearly every night.

Blog: The Many Types of Disability Culture

Is society disallowing the right of certain communities to be part of subcultures?

Blog: Sport Can Make A Difference

Anna Steven is a member of the Halberg Youth Council.

Blog: Empowering Disabled Youth Through Sport

Jacob Phillips writes about the 2017 Halberg Junior Disability Games.

Opinion: Disability and Masculinity

Alexander Goldsmith explores what is means to be a male and live with a disability.

Blog: Dealing with Misconceptions

Christina writes about the misjudgements she's experienced as a wheelchair-user.

Blog: The Key to Perseverance

Perseverance is a key skill which has helped Liam get through challenges.

Paralympics Postponed

A statement from Paralympics New Zealand regarding the postponement of the Tokyo Paralympics 2020

The Importance of User Testing for Accessibility

Listening to our community is the best way to make anything more accessible. Grace Stratton shares s...

Supporting Business

Grace reminds us to support employers of disabled peoples, especially right now.

Inside Outside

Attitude is looking for young kiwis to participate in a new project!

Attitude Awards Nominations 2020

The Attitude Awards are back for 2020! We are looking for extraordinary kiwis that have made an impa...

One Year to Go: Tokyo 2021

Celebration of the New Zealand Paralympic Team supporters marks ‘1 year to go’ to the rescheduled To...

2020 Attitude Award finalists

The judges have sorted through a record number of nominations to the Attitude Awards this year, deli...

Get it in the big book of laws already!

Young comedian, Josh Davies, attended the Access Matters forum to hear each of NZ's political party'...

Falling: The Most Accessible Activity

NZ Comedian Josh Davies, shares his experience of what it's like to sky dive with a vision impairmen...

About Us

Attitude Trust appoints three new board members

Grace, Loren and Justine join the charitable trust that champions the integration of people with dis...

Having Reece's Back

Since childhood, Reece has helped Blake and Ryan in every way imaginable. He’s clothed them, fed the...

5 tips for personal care

Independence is about being in control of how things are done, not doing it all yourself.

Fly High Sweetheart

Lena Harrop Zhang's joy touched many lives. Friend and fellow performer, Renee Maurice pays tribute.

Announcement on Disability System Transformation and Accessibility

Minister for Disability Issues, Carmel Sepuloni and the Minister of Health, Andrew Little have annou...

Big Transformation needed for disabled people

Disabled peoples’ lives will be profoundly affected by the Government’s recent announcement about a ...

Hesitantly hopeful

Hopefully all sectors of the community are listened to as we move forward with the recent announceme...

Politicians doing what they say!

Politicians often like to say they will do something and hope people forget before they have to deli...

The Panel

The Attitude Panel is a new, regular discussion around the issues facing the disabled community.

It felt like Christmas

Shane MacInroe lives with a learning disability and offers his perspective on the new Ministry for D...

Flag football, more than a game.

Karleigh-Jayne talks about her experience of joining her Flag Football team, how inclusive the team ...

My International Women’s Day

Celebrating the incredible women who are change-makers, mothers, employees, employers, daughters, an...

Keeping Aotearoa New Zealand moving, with MSD

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to support people to help keep New Zealand moving. Due to t...

Holiday drama for the disabled

The holiday season is here! If you’re like me, you’re probably spending less time searching for b...

The lack of Support Workers

Will explores the benefits of having his cousin Finau as a young support worker, the stigma around t...

Mike Bishop on Para Sport

As Chair of Disability Sport Auckland (Parafed), CEO of Harbour Sport and a former professional cric...

Jack Broome - A new kind of teacher

Jack Broome lives with Cerebral Palsy and is one of only a few disabled teachers in Australia. He op...

Would you disclose your disability on a dating app?

Disability dating makes great TV. It provides a voyeuristic snapshot of scenarios we never even knew...

Ever thought of giving Adaptive mountain biking a go?

James and Kim Littlejohn’s passion project and charity, #AdaptMTB is making mountain biking more acc...

Up and coming para athletes to benefit from new Para Sport Collective

A new initiative from Paralympics New Zealand launched today at the Millenium Institute on Auckland’...

The right to drive

For Grace Lee and others who have a disability, getting a driver’s licence isn't straightforward. Wi...

Meet The Minister

The next few years will be transformative for the disabled community. After decades of advocacy, we ...

Keeping up with the Joneses

We know many New Zealand families are doing it hard. Rising food prices, mortgage rates and transpor...

Stolen Serenity

The rugged mountains of New Zealand’s South Island were a magical place for Dave Vass. Extreme weath...

Levelling The Playing Field!

Catriona Mcbean has 20 years of experience in sport management. Currently on the board of Paralympic...

The Ministry for change

Ever heard of the word Whaikaha? Tāngata Whaikaha translates as “people who are determined to do...

Disabled Divas pedal for MS awareness

The ‘Disabled Divas’ are challenging themselves and the public perception of disability. In the l...

Back in the swing of things

Cathie Braun is a real head turner on the golf course. An aggressive staphylococcus infection le...

No limit to love

Would you stay with your partner if they became a paraplegic? It’s a tough question that most pe...

The race for electric vehicles is leaving disabled people behind

Electric vehicles are the future of New Zealand transport, unless you’re part of the disabled commun...