DARUMA (the Movie)

On 1st September, DARUMA finally comes to Australia and New Zealand!
From Oscar-winning executive producer Peter Farrelly comes the first film in US cinematic history to star two leads with disabilities in a narrative not about overcoming disability.

DARUMA is a story about fatherhood, found family and forgiveness.
Rent the film on Amazon Prime or Apple TV+

Starring:
Christopher Reeve Best Actor Winner, Tobias Forrest
Slamdance Best Actor Winner, John W. Lawson
CBS Blue Bloods’ Abigail Hawk
And Golden Globe winner Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)

DARUMA is available with open captions and has audio descriptions for free via All4Access. Download the app at https://all4access.com/ for audio descriptions of DARUMA.

IndieFilm #DisabilityRepresentation #Movies #AuthenticCasting #Disability

If you want to tag us the socials are here:
INSTAGRAM: @darumamovie
https://www.instagram.com/darumamovie

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W12KK9poUV0

[00:00] Introduction – Disability Disrupters Podcast
[00:30] Advert – Disability Responsiveness new Zealand (DRNZ)
[00:53] Interview with John Lawson and Tobias Forrest
[47:39] Goodbye from Dr Pam
[47:55] Podcast Donations request

Disability Self-empowerment Module One: Take charge of your future!
Available on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Disability-self-empowerment-Module-charge-future-ebook/dp/B0FJLKGLTV

Disability Responsiveness New Zealand offers personalised mentoring and workshops – view the content of these at https://drnz.co.nz/about-our-workshops-and-programmes/

Audio Shorts, background music provided by http://www.andrelouis.com

Podcast audio and transcript editor : Britta Offergeld

Support Disability Disrupters by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/disability-disrupters

Read transcript

Neelu Jennings

Neelu Jennings is a politician, disability advocate, and adventure athlete from Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
A member of the Green Party, she has stood for both local and national office while raising two children as a full-time parent.
Neelu brings deep expertise to her advocacy, holding a master’s degree in disability policy and a postgraduate diploma in public health, alongside professional experience with the Office for Disability Issues.

As the founder of Integrated Sport NZ and a decorated para-athlete, she has broken barriers in sport—becoming the first blind person to complete the Coast to Coast and the Crazyman multisport races, as well as climbing Mt Aspiring and paddling across Cook Strait. Her leadership has been recognised with an Attitude Award and a Woman of Influence Award.
In April 2025, Neelu and Optimed’s Craig Norman teamed up to race the Porirua Grand Traverse – the multisport event involved legs in a double kayak (12k), a tandem mountain bike (28k) and a supported trail run (18k).

[00:00] Introduction – Disability Disrupters Podcast
[00:21] Introduction to Podcast Guest
[00:40] Advert – Disability Self-empowerment: Module one: Take charge of your future!
[01:58] Interview with Neelu Jennings
[30:59] Employment Matters – part 3
[35:04] Advert – Fast braille translation service
[36:04] Goodbye from Dr Pam
[36:20] Advert – Tipjar support for the podcast

Disability Self-empowerment: Module One: Take charge of your future!
Available on amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Disability-self-empowerment-Module-charge-future-ebook/dp/B0FJLKGLTV

Disability Responsiveness New Zealand offers personalised mentoring and workshops – view the content of these at https://drnz.co.nz/about-our-workshops-and-programmes/

Audio Shorts, background music provided by http://www.andrelouis.com

Podcast audio and transcript editor : Britta Offergeld

Support Disability Disrupters by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/disability-disrupters

Read transcript

Read transcript

Nick Ruane

Nick Ruane has a long history of community involvement, advocacy, leadership, and disability activism.
Nick has a Master of the Arts (with Honors) in Political Science and Government from Victoria University.
He is a board member for New Zealand Riding for the Disabled and was co-chair of the Wellington Accessibility Advisory Group for 5 years, giving advice to Council on Accessibility.
He is currently the Workbridge Group Foundation Advisor, advising on establishing a Philanthropic giving program, establishing a small grant program, and re-launching the Foundation website.
He also posts about disability politics topics at https://nicholasruane.substack.com/

Dr Pam’s Disability Self-empowerment module one is now available !

Disability Self-empowerment: Module One: Take charge of your future! Available to purchase on amazon

[00:00] Introduction – Disability Disrupters Podcast
[00:21] Introduction to Podcast Guests
[00:56] Advert – Disability Self-empowerment: Module one: Take charge of your future!
[02:26] Interview with Nick Ruane
[19:24] Employment Matters – part 2
[25:14] Advert – Fast braille translation service
[26:12] Introduction to United Blind Leaders Webinar segments
[27:28] United Blind Leaders Webinar segments
[47:15] Goodbye from Dr Pam
[47:32] Advert – Tipjar support for the podcast

United Blind Leaders Webinar recap

How Leadership Changes the Way We Advocate
United Blind Leaders recently hosted a powerful and deeply personal webinar exploring how stepping into leadership changes the way we advocate—and how advocacy, in turn, shapes leadership.
Facilitated by UBL Co-founder, Emma Bennison, the session brought together three distinguished speakers with decades of lived experience, activism, and leadership: Susan Thompson, Martin Stewart, and Dr Pam MacNeill.
Together, they unpacked the shifts required when moving from independent advocacy to organisational leadership, shifts that call for strategic thinking, political savviness, and an unshakable commitment to the communities we serve.
Each speaker reflected on the delicate balance between working within systems to create change whilst staying true to grassroots advocacy. Dr Pam McNeill shared candidly about her 18 years working within the New Zealand government, navigating complex relationships with ministers while staying loyal to disabled communities. Her approach? Find strategic alignment without compromising values—and don’t be afraid to stir the pot when necessary.
Susan Thompson spoke of earning respect through active participation across all parts of an organisation—from client committees to internal operations—while never losing sight of her identity and responsibility as a blind person. She emphasised the importance of choosing battles carefully, maintaining emotional discipline, and being “part of the blind community, not above it.”
For Martin Stewart, the shift from activist to advocate was also a deeply personal journey. He described moving from anger-fuelled protest to organisational leadership, crediting his role at Blind Citizens Australia as a transformative turning point. “I wanted to be a reputable person,” he said. “And now I’m happy to be swimming in the mainstream.”

About United Blind Leaders

United Blind Leaders (UBL) is an international movement of blind and vision-impaired people advocating for authentic representation in decision-making roles, particularly in organisations that provide services to blind people. We believe leadership by people with lived experience is essential—not optional—when it comes to shaping the future of our communities and the organisations that serve us.
Learn more and sign up to our mailing list at
http://www.unitedblindleaders.org
to stay updated on upcoming events, campaigns, and opportunities to get involved.
Want to join the conversation? UBL-Chat is our community discussion list where blind and vision-impaired people can connect, share ideas, and debate issues that matter. To join, send a blank email to:
ubl-chat+subscribe@groups.io

Disability Responsiveness New Zealand offers personalised mentoring and workshops

Audio Shorts, background music provided by http://www.andrelouis.com

Podcast audio and transcript editor : Britta Offergeld

Support Disability Disrupters by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/disability-disrupters

This special Historical Disability Disrupter episode of the Podcast features a presentation by Dr. Peter Wheeler on the remarkable life and times of Ben Purse, a pivotal figure in disability history.
Purse famously articulated that while physical impairment "matters," the greater problem was "the social sins of the community" — attitudes, barriers, and obstacles that prevented blind people from achieving social and economic fairness alongside sighted workers. This perspective predates modern social models of disability.
Ben Purse orchestrated a historic march to London in 1920, where 250 blind men and their supporters marched from three different starting points to Trafalgar Square, greeted by an estimated 10,000 supporters. The march, titled "Justice Not Charity," aimed to influence the 1920 Blind Persons Bill.

[00:00] Introduction – Disability Disrupters Podcast
[00:42] The Life and Times of Ben Purse
[40:42] Dr Pam introducing the Q&A with Dr Peter Wheeler
[40:49] Question and Answers on the Life and Times of Ben Purse
[01:07:14] Podcast seeking contributions from Listeners
[01:07:41] Goodbye from Dr Pam
[01:07:57] Advert – Fast braille translation service

Support Disability Disrupters by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/disability-disrupters

Read transcript

Emma Bennison

Emma Bennison is a bold disability advocate, consultant, Non-Executive Director and systems leader committed to equity, lived experience leadership and community transformation.

As Principal of Emma Bennison and Associates and Chief Advisor, Equity and Lived Experience at Life Without Barriers, (one of Australia’s largest human services organisations), she drives inclusive change across government, corporate and not-for-profit sectors.

A former President and CEO of Blind Citizens Australia and co-founder of United Blind Leaders, Emma is passionate about elevating blind leadership and challenging systemic barriers.

She’s also a TEDx speaker, MBA graduate and recipient of the 2024 Lesley Hall Award for Lifetime Achievement in Disability Leadership.

To learn more about Emma, visit http://www.emmabennison.com

The song excerpts featured in this episode are from Emma’s Album Fine Line, which is available on Spotify and Apple Music
The songs are Changing Mindsand Winds of Change.
To check out more of Emma’s music, head to https://emmabennisonmusic.com/

Episode Chapters

[00:00] Introduction – Disability Disrupters Podcast
[00:21] Introduction to Podcast Guest
[37:19] Employment Matters
[46:24] Dr Pam goodbye
[46:42] Advert – Fast braille translation service

Disability Responsiveness New Zealand offers personalised mentoring and workshops – view the content of these at https://drnz.co.nz/about-our-workshops-and-programmes/

Audio Shorts, background music provided by http://www.andrelouis.com

Podcast audio and transcript editor : Britta Offergeld

Support Disability Disrupters by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/disability-disrupters

Read transcript

I recently attended a Disability Support Services (DSS) workshop on personalised budgets for disabled people. The discussion largely revolved around eligibility and assessment. I also completed the accompanying DSS survey, which raised further concerns.

As many of you know, last year the New Zealand Government drastically restricted the kinds of equipment and services disabled people could purchase to achieve a good life. The flexibility that once allowed individuals to meet their specific needs was sacrificed in favour of a narrow range of mostly neurologically focused supports.

For example, a blind person receiving respite care funding can no longer purchase Braille or audiobooks, but can buy noise-cancelling headphones, despite the obvious safety risks of using these while crossing busy streets.

When disabled people and our allies objected to these changes, the Government insisted that funding hadnt been cut, only restricted. But these restrictions are arbitrary and, in some cases, harmful. The shrinking list of eligible purchases has left many unable to use their allocated budgets. Disabled New Zealanders recognise that this situation has been deliberately engineered, likely as a pretext for further cuts in Thursdays budget.

Turning to the current consultation on personalised budgets (a high-level term encompassing multiple funding streams with varying eligibility criteria), several concerning issues stand out:

1. Lack of Genuine Disabled Leadership

Discussions about disability services must be authentically led and managed by disabled people. While some disabled individuals are involved, far more meaningful leadership is needed. Having worked in the Public Service, I understand the constraints of the system, but these consultations must be genuinely inclusive, not just performative.

2. Moves Toward Means Testing

The DSS survey in particular, strongly suggests the Government is considering means testing personalised budgets. This would penalise disabled people for striving toward financial independence and undermine the idea that support is an entitlement, not a favour.

3. Absence of a Rights-Based Approach

Instead of framing support as charity, the Government must follow international examples where personalised budgets are treated as entitlements, just like New Zealands National Superannuation. Such an approach affirms dignity and autonomy.

4. A Flawed Consultation Process

Although the survey allowed individuals to share views, the public meetings grouped disabled people, families, and organisations together. This structure risks drowning out the voices of disabled people, particularly when service providers and related organisations are focused on retaining their own government funding.

It appears that the Government may be manoeuvring disabled New Zealanders into accepting further restrictions, including means testing. But if we recognise this manipulation, we can push back. That pushback would be even more powerful with solidarity from other marginalised groups, who regularly ask for support from within the community.

We must exert political pressure, through the media and by contacting our local MPs, to demand the full rollout of Enabling Good Lives (EGL), which promises a fairer system grounded in choice and control. We’ve been waiting for this roll-out since 2011.

We understand that eligibility must be fairly established. This should be based initially on clear impairment criteria. Disability identity is important, but it is understood that funding is finite. EGL has already proven successful in the Manawat so why the delay in expanding it nationwide?

Finally, any government ministers who believe a return to institutional models of provision for disabled people would be more cost-effective than providing individualised support, are simply deluded. Not only would such a move risk another costly Royal Commission into abuse, but it also ignores the long-term social and financial costs of exclusion. Just look at the staggering expenses associated with the penal system.

Disabled people can and do contribute to our various communities, we have no wish to be treated as unproductive charity cases, pushed to the margins of society.