Exhibition showcases what life is like for people living with an intellectual disability

The exhibition features 27 people with intellectual disabilities, including Jess and Sunil Fernandez-Ritchie, pictured with their daughter. Photo / Supplied

A multimedia exhibition showcasing the dreams, talents and often the loneliness of people with intellectual disabilities opens on Saturday, August 13 at Waikato Museum – Te Whare Taonga o Waikato – in Hamilton.

Developed and toured by IHC New Zealand, Take a Moment with Us enables the audience to hear the voices and see the images of people with disabilities just as they are: living in their communities, getting on with life, working hard to be included and to feel connected to what is going on.

"This is a unique and insightful exhibition that aims to strengthen connections," said Waikato Museum director of museum and arts Liz Cotton.

"Take a moment with us encourages New Zealanders to consider what being part of a community means and we are proud to host it here in Hamilton."

Through video and photographs, Take a Moment with Us features 27 people with intellectual disabilities. Among them is Moana Parker, who is Māori and has lived her life separated from her whānau; and Jess and Sunil Fernandez-Ritchie, whose dream to have a child was realised with the birth of their daughter.

Images by Christchurch documentary photographer Bridgit Anderson, and video shot and edited by Sam Morrison, Tania McKenzie Bellam and Jasper O'Donnell, combine to give visitors a glimpse of what life is like for people living with an intellectual disability.

They filmed in Auckland, Christchurch, Waikato, Wellington, and Manawatu, resulting in a diverse showcase of people with intellectual disabilities of all ages and from every walk of life.

Take a Moment with Us was launched at Waikato Museum on Friday by IHC New Zealand patron Dame Denise L'Estrange-Corbet and guests were entertained by Te Rōpū O Kihi, a kapa haka group of performers with intellectual disabilities from IDEA Services in Waikato.

Exhibition photographer Bridgit Anderson gave a short background to the make-up of the exhibition followed by examples of what community means to her and how she and Sam Morrison went about discovering what it means for the participants.

The exhibition is open to the public from Saturday, August 13 and entry is free. More information: ihc.org.nz/take-moment-us.