Members of Auckland's disabled groups have handed a petition signed by 500 asking Mayor Len Brown for a rethink of an Auckland Council restructuring move that axes the jobs of the region's disability advisers.

Exclusive: Samuel Forrest suggested as Leo's primary caregiver, he should be paid $90,000 in the first year and up to $70,000 the next.

Kiwi father whose plea for help raised more than half a million dollars for his disabled son says flying business class was justified.

An LA-based artist has photographed wounded veterans with a twist - rather than take "sorrowful" portraits, he's focused on their strength and sexuality.

An 18-year-old Australian model with Down syndrome is breaking down barriers and proving that a disability needn't stand in the way of a dream.

Key issues to be addressed in an update of special education will include wait-times and their negative effect on children with extra needs , documents show.

Linda, a mum from Auckland, has a daily struggle trying to get the best education for her special needs kids. She tells her story.

Lawyers taking rising numbers of special education cases say an independent tribunal is needed to ensure funding decisions are resolved fairly.

Since birth, Matt Perry was never expected to walk, yet now, at 22, he stands on stage to snarl out the vocals of his rock and metal band.

Autism New Zealand has welcomed a funding boost to assist children with special needs at school, but says there will still likely be an unmet need.

More funding for children with special needs has topped an informal wishlist for teachers ahead of this year's Budget.

A spiritual awakening led occupational therapist Di Willis to help create an organisation to enable those living with disabilities to realise their full potential.

A controversial decision by a pilot to remove a family because their autistic daughter was being "disruptive" has received support from at least one passenger.

A sick mother in the UK was left shocked when a vicious note was left on her windscreen after she used a disabled car park.

A series of photographs hopes to raise awareness and "show people with Down Syndrome can do anything they put their minds to".

A severely intellectually disabled man was left to watch television for hours and left in the car as his caregiver went fishing.

An 8-year-old Manurewa boy is one of 11,000 disabled children to lose a welfare benefit, even though his asthma is so bad that he missed one in every four school days.

Hearing-impaired cricket fans are missing out on the World Cup because they do not have access to captioning, the Foundation for the Deaf says.

The Kiwi father of Down syndrome baby Leo, born last month in Armenia, has a conviction for assaulting his father-in-law from a previous marriage.

It has been just over a decade since Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman captured the hearts of the country when she lost her limbs to meningococcal disease.

Six-year-old Destiny can't walk without a frame because of domestic violence meted out to her birth mother. Now she needs a costly spinal operation in the US.

The New Year is a time for reflection. This year, we met everyday New Zealanders who have suffered heartbreaking moments in their lives.

Brant Tohu has quickly come to love his hook, fitted to one arm this month after he lost both legs and both hands within a year to an immune system disorder.

Being fat is a disability, EU judges have ruled, meaning that European companies must offer obese staff bigger chairs, special parking spaces and a lighter workload.

A seven-year-old girl who was born with learning difficulties because her mother drank heavily while pregnant is not entitled to criminal injuries compensation.

For some New Zealand celebrities it was a bit of horsing around, but their doodles of horses are helping to raise money for Riding for the Disabled.

A class set of laptops has proved life-changing for a young Aucklander who believes he is NZ's only wheelchair-using teacher with cerebral palsy.

Could a UK case being heard in court today about compensation to a girl born with fetal alcohol syndrome set a precedent to prosecute pregnant women who drink?

Keith Shelley gets to work early. Really early. The gates don't open until 7.30, but he's outside by "six or five past, depending on the buses".