Code of Health & Disability Services Consumers’ Rights; UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Art 24; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art 23
If you have a problem at school, the best place to start solving it is at school, with teachers, the principal and if necessary, the Board of Trustees. You can also speak to staff at the Learning Support section of your local Ministry of Education office.
If you’re having trouble getting the school to recognise your rights, it’s a good idea to put the issues down in writing, in a letter to the school. Make sure you mention your rights, and the particular laws or United Nations conventions that are the source of those rights, to remind people of the government’s obligations.
As well as the rights mentioned in the previous section, you can mention these:
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child requires the government to recognise the special needs of mentally and physically disabled children, and to ensure that disabled children have effective access to education (Article 23).
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognises that disabled people have the right to an education, without discrimination and with equal opportunities (Article 24).
The Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994 sets out health services consumer rights in a special code (the Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights). The Act covers any organisation which provides a health service to the public, including services provided in schools, such as a school nurse or physiotherapist. These services must be provided at an appropriate standard.