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Why now? Because life is now

September 17, 2021

Life is for living, and it’s happening right now. Your life.

While this applies to everyone, for many people who live with disabilities it's not actually happening the way they want it to. Many people have been taught, over time, to wait just a little bit longer; to moderate their expectations; to sit tight while we wait for the rest of the world to be ready for them to live their life to the fullest.

Always adjusting or adapting to meet the expectations of a system and society that doesn’t always accommodate what a full and happy life means to them.

Whatever the reasons behind such limitations or hurdles, one of the most fundamental problems we see with the current system is this: when someone stops asking for what they need to live a truly fulfilling life, they lose sight of ever achieving that fulfilment. So when new possibilities present themselves, they may not even remember how important it was to seek fulfilment in the first place.

Many people with disabilities have been taught from a young age to aim low, to not hope for too much and not dream very big. This has been encouraged and perpetuated by a culture in the disability sector where adequate is enough for a good life.

We are here to tell you, this is not true.

Adequate is not good enough.

Everyone deserves a life of joy, laughter and purpose, and that is not best obtained by accepting the adequate.

Flying Kites exists to be the change we want to see in the disability sector. We are here to change the culture of aiming low and accepting adequate. And we need you to join us.

We need you to want more from the support that you receive.

A New Way Forward

Until the voice of people with disabilities and their whānau is loud and clear that adequate is not enough, then the organisations that provide support will never need to change.

Changing a whole industry is hard. It takes time. But changing the lives of many is possible, step by step. And that’s what Flying Kites is here to do. One person, and one family, at a time.

Changing Lives, Starting Now.

At Flying Kites we are focusing on two areas where we can make a real and immediate impact.

The first is through personalised recruitment support, because we believe that support staff shouldn’t fit into boxes any more than the people they support do. We all deserve the opportunity to surround ourselves with unique humans who make our lives better, and when you find the right match in a support worker, it’s where the magic happens.

The second area we are focused on is disability support design. This is where we are truly reimagining what disability support can be.

Forget established systems. Forget about fitting into predetermined boxes. We strip things back to get to know you, your whānau, your hopes, dreams and priorities. Then, and only then, do we build a fully-tailored plan that will help you realise your aspirations.

So the question we need to ask you is this: Are you ready? Are you ready to expect more? To dream bigger? To raise your standards?

Because if the answer is yes, we want to hear about it. And if we can help you build a life that is filled with joy and purpose, we want to do that too; because life is now.