Moving Towards Restorative Responses in Healthcare: A Scoping Day to Identify the Needs of Neurodivergent Mental Health and Addictions Clients

Restorative practice is a person-centered approach to relationships in healthcare interactions and approaching the experienced harm that can sometimes occur. We live within a world that requires us to interact with healthcare, and restorative practice brings a way of maintaining our humanity and acknowledging mana throughout these processes and the harms that can occur. We are looking to bring together a diverse group of people invested in restorative relations within our neurodiversity community. 

Facilitators: 

Karis Knoll (they/she) is a deeply curious, white, disabled person who’s part of the rainbow community. They are an undergraduate student from the United States who is studying at Victoria University of Wellington for the trimester. She is interested in the intersection of disability justice and restorative justice. In the States, they serve as a peer facilitator and work with education as a form of activism and community building. 

Shannon O’Connor (Ngāi Tahu) (she/her) is Indigenous and identifies as rainbow and neurodiverse and works in peer development and mental health spaces. Shannon is involved with the Learning Exchange and peer workforce training, as well as restorative approaches aligned with te ao Māori. 

Dr. Annie Southern (she/they) – is an autistic writer and speaker who for the last five years has worked as a peer health professional in the management of large community mental health care services. She has previously been an independent quality auditor of mental health room-based services. Annie is rainbow and Indigenous tauiwi as well as neurodivergent in several ways including plurality of self. 

Waiatamai Tamehana (Ngati Ruanui, Nga Ruahine, Tainui) - Kaihautu/MC 

Intended participants: neurodiverse communities, Māori communities, rainbow communities, mad pride communities, people allied with neurodiverse communities, advocacy or support roles.

Host: Dr Annie Southern, MHERC Learning Exchange 

Date: Monday 24 June 2024, 9.00am - 4.00pm

Venue: MHERC, Level 1, 12 Hazeldean Road, Addington, Christchurch. Online option is through Zoom. 

Catering: Light refreshments and lunch provided

Contact: Sammy Turner, Education Coordinator, MHERC, sammy@mherc.org.nz 

Accommodations that will already be provided are: 

Physical Accommodations   

• Accessible entrance and bathroom on the ground level
• Accessible parking offered for a limited number (please reach out if you plan on using this) 
• Gender neutral bathrooms on level one
• Print outs with key information available in written form in the space
• Multiple means of engagement, with post its and pens around to express through written or visually artistic forms
• Closed captioning turned on zoom

You have an explicit right to autonomy that includes taking care of yourself through 

• Food - you can snack whenever is needed
• Drink - you can take a drink whenever
• Bathroom breaks
• Explicit permission to stim
• We will provide breaks and you are also welcome to take a break whenever you feel you need to

Please care for yourself as a member of the wider community - Caring for yourself is a form of community care

If you have any other access needs, please contact Sammy Turner, Education Coordinator, MHERC, sammy@mherc.org.nz