We were privileged to have the opportunity to sponsor Natt, Abi, and therapy dog Rosie to attend last month’s I.Lead conference (which was held virtually due to COVID-19). The I.Lead Conference is a platform for young people with disabilities from across Aotearoa to come together to find solutions to issues and barriers they face.
Here’s a short recap from Natt and Abi on their I.Lead experience:
On February 21 and 22 we experienced the two-day I.Lead conference. During the conference we had guest speakers and breakout workshops. Our favourite presentation was on the history and future of Enabling Good Lives (EGL).
There were breakout rooms for different disability issues within New Zealand, including: transitions, housing, education, employment, and training.
We participated in Employment and Training for Disabled People. We meet a wide range of young disabled people and saw familiar faces across New Zealand. We talked about the issues surrounding employment and training of disabled people and discussed our experiences, barriers, solutions, and what’s needed. Lastly, we got to submit our recommendations to the officials, we chose to do this in a role play format.
We were lucky to receive an I.Lead welcome box filled with goodies including a t-shirt, drink bottle, pen, notepad, chocolate, biscuits, and hot chocolate. As a surprise we also received a Subway voucher to cover lunch for both days! Thank you so much for this opportunity!
