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Related Articles Attitude Awards 2008

Attitude YOUTH Award - Winner: Kerri Bonner

• Red Nicholson, 21,  is a media and communications student. Red is a wheelchair user and  opted to use his knowledge and skills to write about access around Auckland.
   For the past year Red's traveled all over Auckland rating everything from hotel bedrooms to restaurant bathrooms, loading it on his website blog "walkingisoverrated.com" 
• Kerri Bonner is a paralympian, advisor, advocate and mentor. She coaches junior sports for Parafed Canterbury, is part of a  CCS mentoring programme and has taken on advisory roles with the Christchurch City Council and the National Youth Council.
• Zachary Best is deaf. Last year he set up an on-line forum for young deaf teenagers to discuss everyday issues. Soon after he and his friends formed a national body for deaf youth. Now he is studying law at Victoria University and is determined to become New Zealand's first deaf Barrister.

Attitude ENTERPRISE Award - Winner: Samuel Gibson

• Samuel Gibson and his child hood best friend Campbell Easton teamed up to design and manufacture their EziRiser chairs. The wheelchair design was based around meeting Sam's own needs. Sam needed a robust electric wheelchair  but couldn't find the right product on the market. The chair  is now sold globally.
• Philip Patston  is director of Diversity Works which strives to change the culture around disability. He's a consultant, mentor, team facilitator and motivational speaker. He's a director of the International Guild of Disabled Artists and performers. Above all he is passionate about getting his message out.
• Beverly Wilson-Jones of Havelock North has multiple sclerosis. She designed and manufacturers a range of wet weather clothing for wheelchair users.
  Bev's cape was her response to the frustration of being a wheelchair user and not being catered for when it came to wet weather clothing.

Attitude SPIRIT Award - Winner: Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman

• Barry de Geest does it all... as well as raising his teenaged son he works tirelessly to  provide supported living services through his organisation Renaissance. And he's an advisor on the Auckland District Health Board. But those who nominated Barry talked mostly of the inspiration he is to others living with a disability.
• Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman contracted meningitis at the age of 6 months and had a 2% chance or survival. There are no other known cases in the world where such a tiny baby has survived such a virulent attack of meningistis. Charlotte had quadruple amputations and 18 operations.
• Judi Davidson has brought up her five children mostly on her own for the past 14 years. Sons  Ryan and Blake both have a motor neuron disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The family are their carers. Judi has raised her kids to support one another. Her teenaged triplets pull together to ensure that brothers Ryan and Blake are out the door on time for school. But the brothers also replay their triplet siblings. Both Ryan and Blake need a reader /writer for their studies. But they've both done stunningly well at school . Ryan topped the WORLD in Cambridge geography.

Attitude COMMUNITY Award - Winner: Mike & Lynn Ryan 

• Todd Fernie. As manager of Disability Services at the Auckland University of Technology Todd Fernie impacts on the lives of thousands of young New Zealanders living with a disability
• Mike & Lynn Ryan are extensively involved in Special Olympics. What started out as a voluntary role to support their eldest daughter Kylie has now turned into a full-time job for Mike. Three of their four adult children have a rare genetic disorder called Partial Trisomy 8 which affects their intellectual development.
  Mike's the National Sport and Coaching Director and both he and Lyn still volunteer outside of work hours.
• The Tiaho Trust  is an organisation led by people who themselves have a disability and the organization supports the northland disabled community. The trust  helps in practical ways like establishing an internet website :'Spork'. It's a networking site much like facebook  but designed for kids with disabilities..

Attitude SPORTSWOMAN Award - Winner: Sophie Pascoe

• Kate Horan
• Sophie Pascoe
• Paula Tesoriero

- All three women brought home medals from  the Beijing Paralympics

Attitude SPORTSMAN Award - Winner: Cameron Leslie

• Cameron Leslie won gold in the 150 metre medly setting a new world record and knocking six seconds off his personal best time.
• Daniel Sharp earned a bronze medal in the Athens Paralympics. But in Beijing  his performance led to silver.
• Skier Adam Hall has already scored gold and silver on the world sporting stage. Snowsports New Zealand named him joint winner of their athlete of the year award for 2008.
  Next January he'll have his sights on the world title when he competes in the world IPC  (International Paralympic Committee) alpine world skiing championship in Korea.

Attitude ARTS Award - Winner: Suzanne Cowan

• Suzanne Cowan. Dance is traditionally the domain of the non-disabled. But Suzanne Cowan's work is so captivating her audience readily engages and is transported beyond any awareness of her physical limitation. Suzanne's legs are paralysed following an accident. She is working towards a masters in dance at Auckland University. Her thesis is on dance and disability. It aims to shift perceptions around disability.
• Louise Hamilton lives with chronic pain following an accident that left her with severe and permanent damage to her back,  knee and shoulder. A musician, singer and song-writer she's never let her disabilites limit her activities in areas in which she has skill.
• Sarah Taylor-Smith has Down Syndrome and has published a book of her art simply titled 'Sarah's Christmas'. The drawings in the book reflect her delight at everything xmas. The captions were written down while she described each piece of art and what it meant to her.

Attitude EMPLOYER Award - Winner : 4Dice Business Group

• Bruce O'Halloran of Adventure Cycles. Thirteen years ago Bruce O'Halloran left his job as a chartered accountant to start a bike repair business. Bruce employs more than 20 people with disabilities and  often goes above and beyond the conventional role of employer.
• 4 Dice Business Group, run by Rob and Mandie Fordyce, services Eftpos terminals. They've got a team of seven employees, all with disabilities Working with Emerge Employment Trust, 4Dice creates a work plan for each employee to make sure their work and life skills keep developing on a much larger scale
• NZ Aluminium Smelters forged a relationship with Southland Enterprises Inc. SEI provides employment for people with intellectual and physical disabilities and these employees work on-site at the Smelter.

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