Our Story
Your Way | Kia Roha has been creating opportunities for disabled people to make and be in control of their own life choices for over 40 years. Everything we do supports our vision of “Disabled people thriving, living the lives they choose in their communities”.
Our organisation began in 1979 as the Disabled Living Centre (Waikato) Trust Inc. In 1997 we changed our operating name to Life Unlimited Charitable Trust to reflect the wider scope of services we provided.
In June 2021, we merged with the charitable trust, Access Ability, which provided the Needs Assessment and Service Coordination (NASC) service in Otago, Southland, Whanganui, Taranaki, and Local Area Coordination (LAC) service in Otago / Southland. Imagine Better (advocacy, research and training) and Journey Together (delivering Local Area Coordination in Bay of Plenty) were wholly owned subsidiaries of Access Ability and became part of the whole organisation.
In recognition of the significance of Life Unlimited and Access Ability merging, in late 2022 we changed our name to Your Way | Kia Roha – a new name to take us forward.
Our Name
Our new name, Your Way | Kia Roha, was selected to honour the past of the two strong organisations – Life Unlimited and AccessAbility – that have joined together to create meaningful impact in the lives of disabled people.
In establishing our bi-lingual name, we recognised our history as an organisation grounded in Te Ao Pākehā and the aspiration of the organisation to establish and maintain connections between Te Ao Māori and Te Ao Pākehā in the context of tangata whaikaha and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
We aspire to everyone having choice and control in their life and reaching their aspirations. Each person’s connection with us is unique. What is certain is we will respond in the way that works and matters for each individual.
“Your Way” refers to the fact that each person is unique, with their own goals. It is an expression of ‘choice and control’ that captures both the aspirations and the importance of the process. It speaks to self-determination.
“Kia Roha” means to spread your wings and fly. This means that we want to support you in achieving your dreams and aspirations, in whatever fashion you choose.
Our Legacy
Your Way | Kia Roha has created a legacy book to celebrate Life Unlimited and Access Ability. Download the PDF, or read it in your browser below.
