Date
04 December 2024

Connect with support services outside the school

Help students navigate the world outside school by connecting them with services that offer the right support for each individual.

Identify available support

Identify available support

Identify the support and services that the student is eligible for through a needs assessment. Whaikaha, the Ministry for Disabled People, maintains a list of organisations that provide needs assessment for people with a disability across Aotearoa.

If you are looking for support because you or someone you care for has a disability … A good place to start is to get on the phone to one of our Needs Assessment Service Coordinator (NASC) organisations.

Locate tertiary student disability services

Locate tertiary student disability services

Students talk about Student Disability Services at the University of Auckland. The support discussed in the video is typical of tertiary institutions throughout Aotearoa.
Video hosted on Youtube http://youtu.be/dekVtgNOy30

Source: Student Disability Services at the University of Auckland

Closed Captions

Use employment services

Use employment services

There are services around New Zealand which provide targeted support for people with learning support needs to help them identify job opportunities.
  • Workbridge – Provides a range of free employment support services for both job seekers and employers, individually tailored to suit every individual’s needs. 
  • Direct career service – Free career, education or training advice from a career expert in your region. Provided through the Ministry of Social Development.
  • Supported employment services – New Zealand Down Syndrome Association NZSDA website has a list of services that provide employment opportunities for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities.
  • Work and Income Employment service for secondary school students with a disability or health condition – This pilot service helps the students, their family or whānau, and school plan for their future and explore job and career opportunities.
  • Emerge Aotearoa Employment Support – Emerge Aotearoa's Flexible Disability Support Service, helps young people to build a support network around the goals they want to achieve, like education or employment options.
  • Workwise Employment Agency – Workwise are committed to helping people facing personal or health challenges to find the right role to suit their skills and dreams – and help them to keep it.
  • YES Disability Resource Centre – This NGO is working to ensure young people with disabilities and learning differences are well represented in governance, planning and employment.
  • Employment Tertiary Internship Programme – Through a paid internship programme, Be.Lab help create career pathways, develop skills and provide mentoring and guidance for tertiary students with disability or access needs.
  • Employment New Start Programme – 'New start' is a paid work experience programme run by Be.Lab. It's for New Zealanders living with disability or access needs aged 16 and over.

Useful resources

Useful resources

Website

Enabling Good Lives

Promotes an approach that supports disabled people to have greater choice and control over the support they receive, so that they can plan for the lives they want. The organisation also provides services in some parts of New Zealand.

Publisher: Enabling Good Lives

Visit website

Website

Your guide to disability support services

A directory of general information, services and community support available for people who have a disability and their families. In English, Samoan, Tongan, Cook Island Māori, Fijian, Niuean and Tokelauan.

Publisher: Le Va

Visit website

Website

List of supported employment services

List of services that provide employment opportunities for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities.

Publisher: New Zealand Down Syndrome Association

Visit website

Website

Whāia Te Ao Mārama 2018 to 2022: The Māori Disability Action Plan

This action plan establishes priority areas of action to enable Māori disabled to achieve their aspirations and to reduce barriers that may impede them reaching their goals.

Publisher: Ministry of Health | Manatū Hauora

Visit website

Next steps

More suggestions for implementing the strategy “Develop effective whole-school practices”:

Return to the guide “Preparing students to leave school”

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