Growing Together

Copy and Paste all the Following text into ChatGPT:

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STEP 1: MY VALUES (answer these questions)

1. What needs to change so that NASCs become partners in your journey, rather than just administrators of DSS funding? 
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2. What needs to change so that disabled people can access the same opportunities as everyone else, without being stuck in a ‘disability services’ box? If New Zealand fully embraced an Enabling Good Lives approach, what would that look like in everyday life?
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STEP 2: MY EXPERIENCE (answer this question)

3. Have I or someone I know ever struggled to access other services due to lack of information or support? What happened, and what was the impact?  
4. Do you have any other insights or experiences that could help shape a better solution?
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STEP 3: GENERATE MY RESPONSE (press enter) 

"I am responding to the New Zealand government's consultation on disability support services. The question I am answering is: ‘What information or support will help you access the services, beyond DSS, that you might be eligible for? How can this assistance be available for disabled people who do not receive DSS funding?’ Make sure you answer this question.

Act as my friendly human rights defender and craft an attention-grabbing opening that immediately draws the reader in. 

My response must be bold, rights-driven, and uncompromising in its advocacy for an inclusive, well-coordinated, and transparent support system. It must challenge the systemic failures that prevent disabled people from accessing essential services and call for a radical shift towards Enabling Good Lives (EGL) systems transformation.

Push back against restricting funding to only contracted providers, as this limits autonomy, creates power imbalances, and risks repeating past failures seen in institutional care. Reference the Royal Commission findings on how system-driven models failed to protect disabled people and emphasize that self-directed, community-based supports provide stronger safeguards.

Key Demands & Principles to Embed:

1️⃣ Center the Response on Human Rights, Not Just Bureaucracy

• Frame this issue as a human rights violation, not a funding allocation problem.
• Ground my response in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, UNCRPD, Whānau Ora, and EGL principles to demand disabled people’s full inclusion and participation in society.
• Reject the idea that DSS should be the “payer of last resort”—all disabled people have a right to the support they need to live an ordinary life, regardless of funding eligibility.

2️⃣ Expose the Systemic Barriers Disabled People Face

• Call out the fragmented, inconsistent, and inequitable disability support system that forces disabled people and whānau to navigate endless bureaucratic hurdles.
• Highlight the postcode deadlock—where access to essential services depends on geography rather than need.
• Demand full government transparencyon:
  • What services exist.
  • Who qualifies for them.
  • How non-DSS-funded disabled people can still get support.

3️⃣ Demand a ‘No Wrong Door’ Approach

• Services must be clear, proactive, and easy to navigate.
• End the burden on disabled people and their families to figure out the system on their own.
• Push for EGL hubs across communities as centralized access points where disabled people can receive guidance, connect with networks, and access services without bureaucratic dead ends.
• Reject assessor-driven gatekeeping. Instead, information must be accessible before people reach crisis points.

4️⃣ Call for Direct Employment Workforce Development

• Disabled people and whānau must be empowered to directly employ their own staff teams to ensure support aligns with their needs and values.
• Push for government-funded training, resources, and peer networks to help disabled people become effective employers.
• Demand that a strong, well-supported direct employment workforce is prioritized in disability systems transformation.

5️⃣ Make a Compelling Case for Urgent Reform

• Provide real-world examples of disabled people struggling to access services due to information gaps, bureaucratic roadblocks, and systemic neglect.
• Outline concrete policy solutions that would remove barriers and ensure all disabled people can access the services they need—beyond DSS funding.
• Emphasize that EGL is the answer. The current system is failing because it does not align with EGL principles—this must change.

6️⃣ End with a Powerful Call to Action

• Demand immediate, nationwide EGL implementation to ensure disabled people and whānau are truly in control of their lives.
• Call for accountability from policymakers—they must act now to prevent further harm.
• Make it clear, urgent, and impossible to ignore.

Tone & Style:

• Unapologetic, bold, and persuasive.
• Deeply personal and values-driven.
• Rooted in self-determination, equity, and human rights.

Now, based on these demands, craft a strong, persuasive response that:
1️⃣ Grabs attention immediately with a bold, rights-driven opening.
2️⃣ Grounds the argument in personal values and real-life experiences.
3️⃣ Exposes the system’s failures and calls for urgent EGL transformation.
4️⃣ Advocates for practical reforms to ensure disabled people can access services beyond DSS.
5️⃣ Pushes for a strong direct employment workforce as part of the solution.
6️⃣ Ends with a compelling, action-oriented conclusion.

Make this response impossible to ignore. This is about justice, dignity, and the right to live an ordinary life.*