Strong Voices

Out of challenges can come great opportunities and that is certainly the case with IHC Media.

IHC Media is an online platform launched in 2022 with content created for and by people with intellectual disabilities.

Warren Erickson is a beef and sheep farmer from Gore who hasn’t done a lot of bike riding since he left school. That’s about to change.

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Young game testers have put their stamps on a new simulation game designed to make it easier for young disabled people to manage money. One thing has led to another – and resulted in some paid work for these young testers.

Not everyone could handle it, knowing that people were depending on you to raise $14 million in a year. But IHC’s National Manager of Fundraising Greg Millar likes having a target. “It’s always somewhat challenging,” he says.

The last time we had comprehensive information on the health of New Zealanders with intellectual disabilities was a Ministry of Health report in 2011. That is about to change. After hearing there was no plan to update the Health Indicators for New Zealanders with Intellectual Disability report, IHC has commissioned a research team to do the job.

Rochelle Waters and Joel Forman are part of Move, a programme run by Christchurch-based dance company Jolt.

For 40 years, the IHC Opportunity Shop has offered great deals to raise funds for people with intellectual disabilities.

Emily Webber takes over her mum’s kitchen with the confidence of a young woman who has worked at the bench many times before.

The word ‘jolt’ can mean shocking someone or something into change. And change is something that drives Christchurch-based dance company Jolt.

Mark Warner’s ‘slice-of-life’ drawings of people have earned him the top prize in the IHC Art Awards for the second time.