While the COVID-19 pandemic has made life harder for disabled New Zealanders, surprisingly the virus has also made some things better by forcing a few long-overdue changes.
When the country moved into lockdown Kiwis had to adjust to a new way of living with online classes and shopping, working from home and on a computer.
For many New Zealanders it was a struggle, but for people with disabilities, it was nothing new.
"If you have a chronic pain condition it can be really hard to get into an office or another workplace and often times we can get around that by working from bed or from home," Kera Sherwood-O'Regan, an Activate advocate says.
"When people were asking for these accommodations they’d either be denied or it would be offered reluctantly.
"A lot of people have now had an experience of feeling very vulnerable, of feeling that they have to change the way they live to fit these societal conditions and a lot of that disabled people have to deal with on a daily basis."
Erin Gough, a disability advocate, faces a number of accessibility challenges when leaving her house.
She says the lockdown means activities, social events and panels and performances are now brought to her.
Alice Manger, from Victoria University's Disability Student's Association, says the move to online classes has significantly helped the student community.
"Disabled students often cannot physically attend class or to attend class takes a lot more energy than a student without a disability," she says.
"Every student I have spoken to, disabled or not, has said the ability to learn online is massive.
"While it's a shame that it took a pandemic for it to happen, it is definitely a silver lining and we don't want to return to normal, we want to return to a better normal."
One in four New Zealanders live with a disability, so why did it take a pandemic to make these changes?
"This has been something students have been asking for, for years. I think the reason that now it's happening is that it’s affecting the majority," she says.
But Lyneen Allen from Deaf Positive NZ says there is still work to be done.
"One gap to note within emergency management is planning specifically for the deaf community, and in regards to this we really need something implemented and in place," she signed.
"If a deaf person arrives at hospital, or if they want to get a coronavirus test, the problem is that the medical professionals and those working at the testing centres now have masks and gloves which makes it much harder for us to understand."
She says the COVID-19 pandemic has caused communication issues for the deaf, because they can't lip read.
"You have people asking for your information, your name, your phone number, your address. They might ask that question verbally while wearing a mask then we may not know what is being asked of us."
The advocates are now calling for Kiwi businesses and educational institutes to be more mindful of how these small changes can hugely improve the lives of many disabled New Zealanders.
