Building digital leaders in the disability sector

We were sponsored to attend the 2023 IPPA conference to present our parent-led program for building capacity in families of children with disability which builds virtual leadership in the disability sector

Some of the IPPA conference streams explore how wellbeing and professional practice can be enhanced by the latest virtual applications and training models. We are keen to contribute, learn from colleagues and bring this knowledge back to benefit our communities. 

Our trustee, Dr. Annick Janson, co-president, New Zealand Association for Positive Psychology is committed to support the implementation of positive psychology and its commitment to enhance belonging social cohesion and digital inclusion of all people in Aotearoa, and in the disability community.

Virtual therapy is growing in importance in the field of positive psychology, and the research and implementation of online interventions is core to our field. My PhD thesis on the development of virtual leadership has been included as a chapter in the 2010 textbook: Leadership in the Digital Enterprise: Issues and Challenges.

We are partners in shaping the future of the Internet for New Zealand. Over the years we have contributed to the New Zealand Internet community by testing different online delivery models for programmes to build leadership in the disability sector. Our programmes contribute on both the domestic level (reaching out to New Zealand participants and internationally, as since our inception we have reached over 4000 participants, children, youth, families and professionals working in the disability sector in New Zealand and abroad (research report available on this page. Our international and online reach (>270,000 views) allows us to benefit to New Zealand economy and re-invest in the disabled communities in Aotearoa.

Working as and with “by family for family” grassroots organisations, we act to grow leadership in our sector. Our programmes are co-created with families/whanau who raise children with disability and we are continuously listening to participants so that we can  improve our support to the disabled community that we belong to and respect and grow its collective aspirations. 

Our online community development activities are fully congruent with the Antistatic report “Literature scan: An internet that is better for people. April 2022” on the https://internetnz.nz website. The report details the engagement processes that matter to New Zealanders. Our activities include Increasing belonging, inclusion and social cohesion and Digital inclusion. 

We apply a robust research methodology to measure the impact that we create via our  Telehealth programmes. This allows us to strive to reach 13% of the people living with disability who live rurally (approx. 95,500). We have trialled various online delivery formats with our partners, Plumtree Learning, and some of our research is listed on the NZ Telehealth register. We are members of the Telehealth NZ association, which includes clinicians, consumers, policymakers, planning and funding managers, ICT experts and industry representatives. Its vision is that Telehealth is embedded across the health sector as a sustainable way to deliver healthcare in New Zealand. Telehealth NZ’s mission is to provide leadership in the use of sustainable models of care enabled by Telehealth that supports equitable, patient-centred care.