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A collage of photos from D*List events, they are all of groups of people. Over the top of the collage is a big white birthday cake with a number 3 candle.

We're three years old — is The D*List what we thought it would be?

By The D*List

Three years ago, The D*List set out on a mission to create space for disabled culture, and to challenge ableism. It's time to reflect on how we — all of us, together — have done so far. 

  • We're three years old — is The D*List what we thought it would be?
    The D*List
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  • In recognition of The D*List’s third birthday, we wanted to take time to reflect on our kaupapa:

    • What impact have we had?

    • Is it what we expected?

    • Are we connected and aligned with our wider disabled whānau?

    • What could we be doing better?

    We worked with Dr. Anabel Fernandez (Director of Purpose Partner) to evaluate our mahi from 2023 to 2025. This included a community survey (77 participants), and in-depth interviews with community members, The D*List’s Kaimahi, and The D*List’s board of Trustees.

    Let’s explore the themes and results of that evaluation.

  • The mission

    The D*List was established in February 2023 to:

    • Grow disability culture in Aotearoa

    • Celebrate disabled storytelling and community

    • Challenge ableism

    We believe that by uplifting disabled culture and community, we inherently challenge ableist narratives without giving outdated ideas more oxygen.

    At the core of this kaupapa is that The D*List will always be disabled-led; all of our kaimahi and contributors are disabled people/tangata whaikaha.

Image description: Nine D*List staff smile at the camera. Five people are sitting in the front, two of whom are using wheelchairs, and four people stand behind. 

  • What we've done so far

    • Built a disability-led team

    • Opened the Tāmaki Makaurau community hub

    • Built a national network of creatives & collaborators

    And the stats...

    • 48 irl events

    • 7 online events

    • 270 articles published

    • 59 community writers

    • 1 million clicks

    • 4 internships

    • 13 podcasts recorded

    • 100 newsletters sent

    Up till September 2025, when the evaluation was completed

  • The pou of impact

    Even more important than the numbers is what you — our community —  told us you value about The D*List and this mahi. 

    Pou 1: Strengthening mana, identity and pride

    When we feel proud and grounded in our identities, we’re able to come together more effectively as a community.

    We aim to strengthen our identities as disabled people through the stories we share, stories that expand our imaginations and expectations around disability.

  • "I could feel myself shedding layers of social masking and fear."

    A community participant

  • "I've never experienced the same kind of community-driven sort of creative freedom"

    A community participant

  • Pou 2: Connection and belonging

    By connecting as disabled community, we build our community resilience and strengthen our voices.

    Through community events, we provide these opportunities for us to come together as disabled people and build stronger relationships across all corners of the community.

  • "I've always had a disability, but I've never been part of the disability community... I always felt like an outsider... [The D*List] provided me with a bit of a bridge really... It felt like a safe space to enter into the community."

    A community participant

  • "Focusing on our own community means... we are becoming stronger in ourselves and ultimately I think that's more powerful than trying to have a outward focus."

    A community participant

Image description: Two people are seated at a table at a market. They are smiling and talking to a customer. In the foreground there is a sign that reads 'The D List'

  • Pou 3: Capability-building

    By collaborating creatively, we build disabled culture and empower disabled creatives.

    The D*List as a platform provides space for disabled creatives to grow their skills and widen their creative network, thereby supporting disabled culture to flourish and take up more space in the mainstream.

  • "The biggest change for me was realising, oh yeah, I actually do belong in this space. I didn’t arrive feeling that way, but the internship helped me find my spark and understand what I bring to the table. I loved getting to work alongside the editors on different formats and finding ways to bring our stories out into the world. It was a really cool experience, and I’ve taken so much from it that I can now carry into the future."

    A community participant

  • "It helped me shape stories in a way that was real and grounded in my culture, but also accessible for different audiences. I wanted the work to speak from me, for people to capture my personality in it, who I am, and it really helped me navigate that space."

    A community participant

  • Opportunities for growth and change

    We’re proud of all we’ve been able to do so far, in collaboration with our community. At the same time, we will always be open to hearing how we can do better, and adapting to the needs of our community. This is what you told us you’d like us to work on:

    Geographic reach

    You’d like us to run more in-person events outside of Tāmaki Makaurau. We agree! To start with, we’ve popped up with two events at Wellington Pride in March, and we’re going to continue to plan for events across Aotearoa, as much as our resources allow.

    Balancing joy and rage

    You’d like us to be brave when talking about and challenging the issues affecting disabled people, while continuing to offer spaces that are a reprieve from our ableist world. This year you’ll see some exciting and radical work from us around the general election, as well as some updates about our approach to advocacy. We’ll continue to offer spaces for disabled jokes and joy through our storytelling and our community events, as always.

Image description: A group of people are seated or standing in front of a Tino Rangatiratanga flag and a Pride flag. Someone at the back is holding up a 'Together for Te Tiriti' sign. Three wheelchair users are seated in the foreground, and twelve other people sit or stand beside them. 

  • What’s next

    For the first three years of our mahi, we’ve been focused on building disabled culture and community. We knew it was already out there; we just wanted to create space for it to thrive. This is still a big part of our mission, but we’re also shifting our focus a bit: we want to take more direct action to fight ableism in Aotearoa.

    We’ve got some ideas of how we can do this, but we’re going to start by developing a specific strategy for activism and advocacy. Our first activation will be around the general election - watch this space for ways to be involved over the coming months.

    This is still a space for disabled culture: both joy and rage. We just want to make sure we’re stepping outside of our own D*List world and having our community’s back. We hope you’ll join us.

  • How to be part of the mahi

    Write

    Although our community submissions are currently closed, we’ll share opportunities to submit your writing every few months. If you want to write something in response to a piece of news or a current event, email kiaora@thedlist.co.nz

    Run events

    We love to hear your event ideas. We’ve got a community hub in Tāmaki Makaurau, but if you want to run events elsewhere in Aotearoa, we’d still love to collab. Email events@thedlist.co.nz

    Attend events

    Come to The D*List events and connect with community - this is the easiest way to be part of the kaupapa. All of our events are on the Events tab on our website.

    Support our advocacy work

    We’ll be doing a callout soon for people who are interested in this mahi.

    Boost our mahi

    Subscribe to our newsletter, read our stories, tell your friends!

    Do your own mahi

    If you’ve got an idea for a story/podcast/event/project that uplifts disabled people, we’d love to hear about it. But, we also don’t need to be part of it unless you want us to. Disabled culture and creativity is more than just The D*List - even if we’re not part of it, we’d love to be invited to support.

  • We can't wait to see what the next three years looks like, and we hope you'll join us on the journey. But we also won't ever forget this first three - thank you to all the friends, whānau, contributors, volunteers, interns, kaimahi, and everyone else who has been part of The D*List so far. You are The D*List. We wouldn't be here without you. 

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