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C  Story / Melanie Sugeng



                          Dr  Robbie
 Journey to Equality





           Francis Watane

































           C         offee is a beverage that brings people togeth-  often discussed. It is an issue that is overlooked and unfor-
                                                              Disability in the coffee industry is a topic that is not
                     er from all walks of life, but like all indus-
                     tries,  it  is  also  a  sector  of  challenges  that
                                                          in recent years, often in the form of disability-inclusive
                     experiences a high degree of exclusion and   tunately thoroughly ignored. Although progress is apparent
           inequality.  This  is  what  disability  rights  researcher  and   cafes and businesses that hire disabled people, there is a
           advocate, Dr. Robbie Francis Watane, and her social en-  crucial demand for disability rights and inclusiveness across
           terprise, The Lucy Foundation consciously work towards.  the entire supply chain  from farmer to manufacturer to
               Dr.  Robbie  Francis  Watane  is  a  leading  disability   barista to consumer. It is vital to recognize and address the
           rights researcher and activist from Aotearoa New Zealand.   barriers that individuals with disabilities may face in the
           Robbie currently lives in TÀmaki Makaurau (Auckland)   coffee industry, and to prioritize inclusivity and accessi-
           with her husband and son. When she is not working as a   bility in all aspects and sectors. This is where The Lucy
           Senior Disability Rights Researcher at the Donald Beasley   Foundation comes in.
           Institute, she is Project Lead for the Disabled Person-Led
           Monitoring of the United Nations Convention on the Rights
           of Persons with Disabilities in Aotearoa New Zealand. She
           has worked as an expert advisor to the New Zealand Gov-
           ernment on various strategies (including the 2016-2026
           New Zealand Disability Strategy), and currently sits on
 “For us, we’re very slow. Very slow, very small,   six governance and advisory boards. And if Robbie’s pro-
 very incremental. We have a word in Maori:  fessional life couldn’t get any more impressive, she’s also
 Whanaungatanga - meaning building relationships.   got “coffee entrepreneur” slotted nicely into her superb
 Building respectful relationships. ”  list of achievements.                              35



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