Where To Start
Introduction
It's not enough for a person to live in a home of their own. To truly thrive, they also need to belong to their community. After all, a good life includes opportunities to belong and contribute.
The person's unique interests, passions, skills, and talents can create a link to community life. Therefore, it is important that a person’s unique attributes are recognised by the people who support them to connect with their neighbours and community as they pursue a home of their own.
Considering the kinds of potential roles and activities within a community that best matches a person’s unique attributes will help the person make decisions about the location of their future home.
Key Points
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Community life is an important part of a person's vision for home.
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The person's unique interests, passions, skills, and talents are their link to community life.
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Consideration of community will help the person decide where to live.
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The community has an abundance of places for people to join and contribute.
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It’s not necessary to join or create special places for people with a disability as this creates segregation rather than welcome and acceptance.
Read
What makes home 'home'?
by Mike Duggan
Mike Duggan moved from his family home to an institution, a group home and finally his own home where he lived for many years. In this article he reflects on what makes his home 'home' and what this brings to his life.
Developing Community Connections
by Resourcing Inclusive Communities
In this Resourcing Inclusive Communities workbook, learn six strategies that can enable people with disability to be active and contributing members of their communities and create the possibility of friendships.
Useful Links
Nurture Development
by Nurture Development
Nurture Development support the proliferation of inclusive, bottom up, community driven change.
They aim to achieve this by supporting local communities and supportive mediating/civic organisations to create the conditions where any neighbourhood can identify, connect and mobilise its assets to the benefit of the whole community.