1 UPLIFTING MUSIC Captions by Pippa Jefferies. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 MUSIC SLOWS GENTLE MUSIC BIRDS CHIRP My life began in an institution where other people made decisions for me. People had taken everything off me, so I had nothing. As a kid, Robert Martin was told he wouldn't amount to much. Today he is one of the most important advocates for the rights of people with disabilities in the world. It's` It's about having, um, people that actually understand us, that people actually get to know us and people can actually sit down beside us, you know, either not a mile in front or a mile behind but actually, you know, talk with us to get to know us, and that's the way I think the world will` will change for the better. Yes! In 2006, he helped draft the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Who would have thought that a person coming from an institution would be involved in the UN Convention of the Rights of People With Disabilities? You know, who would have thought that? Um, I certainly wouldn't have. Now he has a shot at being voted on to the committee that upholds that convention. And if he's voted on, he'll be the first person with a learning disability to be on any UN committee. JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC PEOPLE CHATTER He's spent his life fighting in NZ and around the world just for people with learning disabilities to have basic rights. The committee's job is to ensure countries who agree to the convention live up to their obligations in the actual treatment of their disabled citizens. This committee is usually composed of academics, lawyers and ex-politicians. Robert brings his lived experience. Now 59, Robert's had health and speech difficulties which may affect his election chances. There's a question mark about Robert's capability for this role. Ironically, it's the same question he's faced all his life. Tomorrow is the vote. I think it's really competitive because the committee in the history of the UN is actually very new. It's only been running for 10 years. Like everything in the UN, I think it's about role-modelling, it's about collaboration, it's about talking about these issues, and it's about raising the awareness internationally. But the main thing they do is, um, review other countries, so people who` countries who have signed up the convention have to all report, uh, to the committee. Robert is a good choice for this because not only has he lobbied and been an activist in NZ, but he's been an activist right around the world, and he's well recognised for that. Come on, Cindy. I'm here. Robert's vying for one of the most contested treaty bodies at the UN. How you doing? Good. Uh, well, got your, um, dry-cleaning here. Oh yep. I'll just put them down for a minute. Yeah. There's only nine spaces on the committee and 18 candidates. That should get you through the week. Yep. So, my role is, um, Robert Martin's assistant, and in that role, um, it's quite` has a variety of tasks, right from assisting with speech-writing and practising, etc, through to making sure that everything he needs is in order. So, I've got you some, um, water, cos I think you probably just need to have a bit of a practice on your speech for, um,... Oh yep. ...Wednesday. Have you got it? Yep, yep. You want me to stand up or sit down? Just the one straight in the front of` in the folder there. Oh yep, OK. Yeah. OK, then. OK, start? Yep. When` Ready when you are. OK. Don't forget to look up every now and again and... Yeah, I have been. Yep. That's cool. So, I know that Robert can bring so much to the committee. He will enrich each and every committee member's life. He will make the secretariat, the` the administrative support we have to the committee, think in different ways. The working methods of the committee will have to change and adapt, I believe, only for the better. And what a role model. JAUNTY MUSIC Cos you've given some thought about what you want, how you want to behave on the committee, haven't you? Yes, I have. Yeah. So what do you think is the thing that's gonna make it easy for you to be heard? Yeah. Supported decision-making means enabling people to have choice and control over their own lives. It's Robert's key focus. Knowledge` Or never heard. Yeah, yeah. And I think... For him to be elected, I think really shows that we can include everybody. Um, we talk about 'nothing about us without us'. We talk about nobody being left behind, but up until now, actually, the convention has less` left people with a learning disability behind. CINDY: This year we've come over two weeks earlier and been, um, doing some campaigning, which has been about meeting countries, meeting the election officers of the countries who can vote. Are you`? We're wrestling with the issues of supported decision-making. Is that something that you're thinking about as well? Um, it's` it's a little, I think, more challenging in Canada because we actually have 13 different supported decision-making regimes in Canada. Wow. Not just one. The federal government has very, very, very little to say about supported decision-making because of that constitutional distinction. It's interesting, Robert, isn't it, because this is an area that we have been struggling with in NZ. And, actually, the People First folks that are travelling with us will be able to speak about that. ROBERT: The world needs to understand that we actually need to work together on this. There are things being done in` in some countries, but what needs to happen is we need to tell each other about this, so it's important that all countries actually are able to do this together. Because, you know, we live in a close world these days, so wouldn't it be really important to actually share the good stuff that we're actually doing around this big issue, because it's really really important? It's the future, I see, of people with a learning disability. The` The focus for us in NZ on supported decision-making, um, is` is around what works and learning from good practice, because it is such a contentious area. CINDY: He's a very humble man, yes. In fact, I think it's been hard for him to, um, promote himself. He's not a lawyer or has a PhD or any of the other, um, sort of academic achievements others may have, but he brings his lived experience and his` his personal experience but also his, uh` his experience of what he's been doing for the last 30 years. And he's met people from all around the world, and he brings, um, all the people with learning disabilities behind him. With recent campaigns for the Security Council and the Secretary General, NZ has no political favours to pull. For the past two weeks, Robert has had to front-foot his own campaign. REFLECTIVE MUSIC Mum brought me into the world, and, kind of, um, problems arose from my` from my birth because, um, I damaged my brain and one of my eyes as well, so... But, um, yeah, Mum found it really difficult to` to support me. Mum kind of went around from pillar to post to find` trying to find out what was wrong with me, but nobody would tell her truth until she went to a doctor and he said, 'Oh, he's mentally retarded.' So, you know, put him in an institution and throw away the key, kind of. There weren't that many people that would` that would, um, that I would make friends to play with, so I used to kind of just be on my own all the time and... muck around by myself. Kind of, I went home for a trial, but it just didn't work out, and then I went... I got` I got fostered out to a` to Ohakune, and that was` that was really bad too. That was terrible. Some terrible things happened there. Um, and I got tortured once for doing things wrong. I had to kneel on some firewood for four or five hours. REFLECTIVE MUSIC To` I used to run away, and then they got tired of it, and I ended up in a welfare place here in Whanganui. But that didn't work out either. So I ended up back in Kimberley again. I ended up in a hole that they called Monowai. I come down with boils, and I was just really sick, and, um, it took them a whole day to notice me. And I was saying to someone that` someone else, oh, you know, these institutions and that type of thing, you know, I says, ' Well, you've got to live in one to find out what it was really like.' You know, when you went to the toilet, it was, you know` From the day we went, the toilet was just open and you could see everything, basically, and, you know, there were no rights to` to privacy. TENSE MUSIC I experienced a few bad things as well, you know, like I did in Kimberley, around sexual abuse and stuff that I` that people had done to me. And, I mean, I didn't know it was bad, you know, none of those things, you know, because as a person of disability, you are, you know, blind to all those things and people will always take advantage of you. And then I ended up in Lake Alice, and what a hellhole that was. You know, that was a real hellhole. I felt like I was in a` in a time warp. You know, I didn't fit in. I was this little kid still. You know, I was only a child, and yet, um, I was with people that were kind of a lot older than I was. TENSE MUSIC So I began to hit the golf ball around to see how many windows I could break. (LAUGHS) That was` That was quite fun. Then I left there and went home, and that was in 1972, just a few days after my 15th birthday, and I did that for four years. And then, um, I got sick and tired of being... hit and abused and stuff like that, so I just wanted to get out of that situation. But the institutions still exist. Then I ended up in, um` living with one of the IHC staff, but then I got into more trouble with the cops. Oh, I got in trouble with shoplifting, unfortunately. Records. So, um, I went to court as well, but I got` I got, um, let off because of what I experienced in my life and stuff like that. Well, I first went to work for IHC in Whanganui in 1980 as a social worker, and, um, he was... he was one of the problem people in the branch, really, at that stage because` well, perceived to be the problem person because he was so angry and` and so upset and fighting and in trouble. And so we had a contract that, um, whatever he said, it was a safe place ` come to my office ` and whatever he said to me didn't go any further unless I had his permission. And I perceived that he had a lot more about him than the angry young man, and, uh, so that really was the beginning. And he was never hard work, because he was like a little sponge when they started this little, uh, self-advocacy group, and we did a lot of training. We did a lot of things like, uh, teaching them democracy and how to solve problems and, you know, that sort of thing. They kind of got rid of one of the farm managers, and this other guy came in and tried to change how we did things and stuff. Um, and we had a guy that, you know, had also been a farmer. OK, he had an intellectual disability, but he knew about` knew about things and stuff. And he was getting a real hard deal from the farm manager, so, um, what happened was, um, he said to me, 'Oh, what can we do?' And I said, 'Oh, well, we could have a strike.' He says, 'Oh, what's that?' I says, 'Oh, it's when you turn up for work, but you don't do any work.' We, um... The next day we go to work and all the other people come in to go to the farm and start to collect their, um` their shovels and spades and grubbers and stuff, and I said, 'There's no work today, boys.' And they go, 'What?' I says, 'Oh, we're on strike.' (LAUGHS) And they kind of go, 'Oh, OK.' Anyway, the, um, farm manager tells us to go work. I says, 'No, we're on strike. 'We're not going to work. We're going on strike.' And, um, they said` he said, 'Why aren't you going to work?' I said, 'We've got some issues that we need to` need to discuss and debate.' Yeah, basically, um, we said, uh, 'You know, we're not going to be fooled around with any more.' 'You know, we have the same rights as what other people` 'Just because we, um, are under IHC it doesn't mean to say that we're gonna, you know, 'let people walk all over us.' So I will be very happy to have also` have a picture with you and with our distinguished candidate. And our guest, yeah. Lovely to meet you. Thank you. Good luck to you. Thank you. Hope to see you more. Yeah. Really appreciate it. All the best. I'm hoping to be able to sleep tonight. I'm not sure if I can. So it's gonna be quite nerve-racking sitting there, because apparently they, um, at the election could go two or three rounds, and they actually read out the names and numbers as well. So you'll be going when it gets` I'm assuming that` I'm not sure whether it's in alphabetical order or quite how it is, but if it is, when it gets to, you know, M, we'll be all holding our breath. (LAUGHS) Tomorrow is decision day. At the start of this campaign, there were countries who were openly unsupportive of a committee member with a learning disability. Now they've met Robert, many have changed their minds. Tonight was really good cos a lot of people came up to me and said they were behind me. And since this committee's been going, we haven't had anyone with a learning disability on it. The election's starting. How are you feeling about that today? All right. You've done your` You've done your best. Yeah. Everyone's done their best, eh? Yeah, yeah. Well, you've sort of been building up to` to this moment. Yeah. But I think the last two weeks have been the` the actual campaign kicked in big time, didn't it? Yeah, yeah. So back-to-back meetings with different countries. Yeah, yeah. Gives me goosebumps too. Yeah, well, I mean... Sorry. I hope this is not hurting. There you go. There. Oh, excellent. It's about those kind of... things that are really really important to` to me, that, um, you know, fighting for equality,... Oh yeah. You need that. ...fighting for citizenship. I mean, most people talk about rights, but I think to me it's also about citizenship. Yeah, I'm just gonna take a copy of your speeches just in case, um, we need to do anything with those. You can't change what's part of human diversity, you know, and that's disability. Disability is part of human diversity. Until we learn that, well, we won't get much further in life. JAUNTY MUSIC CINDY: I'm really proud of Robert. I think that, um` I mean, this is a big ask for anybody, and it's a huge step up to, um, you know` to the international arena at this level. And, of course, it's going to be historic if he gets elected. He'll be the first person with a learning disability to be on any UN committee. But of all the people that I've met with a learning disability, he's absolutely the right person to be the first one. JAUNTY MUSIC CONTINUES You know, when we first started the talks at the UN in New York about the rights of people with disabilities` And it's not about any new rights. It's about the same rights as all other citizens of our world, that live in this world, you know, the right to an education, the right to have a job, the right to choose with whom and where you live, the right to not be, um, mistreated and abused. You know, and that's the thing that we brought to this UN; it's the everyday stuff. UPLIFTING MUSIC MAN: Since its adoption in 2007, there have been 164 ratifications. That has been matched with a flood of action for realising the rights of persons with disabilities across the globe. Increasingly, disability issues, the rights and well-being for persons with disabilities is being recognised and integrated into socioeconomic development and humanitarian responses. NZ played a key role in the development of the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. Robert Martin, NZ's candidate for the CRPD committee, was one of those who walked the floors and pored over the draft text of the convention. He brought an important perspective as an advocate and as someone with a learning disability, and we believe the final outcome was richer as a result of his input. We want more people like Robert out there and more people who we're just interacting with on a daily basis, and then people won't feel like they're other, they're different. They're not. We're all the same. MAN: The number of representatives voting ` 160. Required majority ` 81. This committee has got to learn to work with other people with all sorts of disability, and we bring learning disability to this table, and I think that's` you know, it's about inclusiveness, and if we really believe in the UN convention, this is what this is all about. OK, voting is now closed. No more ballot papers will be accepted. Number of votes obtained for each candidate is as follows. Mr Robert George Martin of NZ ` 101. CHEERING Having obtained the required majority, I declare Mr Robert George Martin of NZ elected as a member of the Committee on the Rights of Persons With Disability. How amazing to have someone with an intellectual disability who's one of the top 18 experts in the world on disability rights monitoring the implementation of international law with an intellectual disability. Wow, what a role model. NZ` I'm so proud that NZ put Robert forward in the first place, and I'm right behind him. Yeah. APPLAUSE, CHEERING At the NZ Mission, a party awaits. CHEERING CONTINUES Today Robert Martin has made history. LAUGHTER, CHEERING UPLIFTING PIANO MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUES Captions by Pippa Jefferies. www.able.co.nz Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, a special welcome to our dignitaries, our finalists, families and friends and sponsors. We're closing on the 2016 Attitude Awards. This is our ninth year, and we've mixed things up. Get ready for new categories. Asperger's is not so much a disability but is almost an ability because it helps me think outside the square and it really comes out in my dancing. This year's awards will be bigger and better than ever before. You'll experience unique stories of Kiwis achieving, mixed with world-class performances and a full three-course dinner. Only... L-I. Live. O-N. Once. This is just the most incredible honour, and just looking around the room, I don't see disability. I can see so much potential, ability and just total awesomeness. Just want to have a big shout-out to my dad. You know, he's been here supporting me, so it's cool. Thanks. CHEERING, APPLAUSE For tickets, go to...