Community Connections
When most people are asked to say what makes their life meaningful, they refer to their relationships. For some people with disability, opportunities to build relationships may be limited or even non-existent, which can lead to increasing isolation and marginalisation. Many families have said that the only people in their son or daughter’s life are immediate family members and people who are in paid roles.
To help facilitate connections with extended family, friends, neighbours and others in the wider community there may need to be some thinking, planning and even strategising about where and how to connect.
Click on this link to read articles about strategising for community connections
Valued Social Roles
Roles are present in every area of life. They influence who we see, what we do, skills we acquire, how we are perceived and how we perceive ourselves. It is the roles we fulfill that give cues to others about our identity, interests, experiences and gifts.
This knowledge helps others to continue to engage with us. If a person with disability has few or no valued social roles, there will be limited opportunity to grow personally, be seen positively and connect with others.
People with disability may need to be supported to find and fulfill valued social roles in-order to be seen, participate, contribute and be recognised as valued members of the community.
Click onto this link to read articles that explain why valued social roles are so important for a good life.
Click here to read inspirational stories about people of all ages and support needs having valued social roles.
For more information about valued social roles and the underlying theory, click onto the links below.
www.socialrolevalorization.com
Foundations Forum (NSW)
Natural Supports
Natural supports are an important means for a person with disability to connect, participate, and contribute to community. Natural supports are informal in nature but constitute more than the idea of unpaid support.
Everyone relies on natural support at different times and at varying degrees throughout their life. Consider who you call on to get some advice, think through a problem or get practical assistance for a job you can’t do on your own? You are likely to call on family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and sometimes acquaintances or friends of friends, depending on what it is you need.
You are likely to have a natural support network without ever having planned it or even realising that you have one. For people with disability, natural supports may not happen so easily, they may need some planning and intentional action to get going and keep flourishing.
You can hear Janet Klees, an advocate for people with disability, explaining natural supports on the links below.
Under what conditions do natural supports thrive?
Personal stories
Practical exercises
The following exercises are designed to help you take a closer and more detailed look at your local community and have some ideas and strategies for how to support a person with disability to not simply be present in community but involved to the fullest extent possible as a valued and contributing member.
It is recommended that the exercises are completed in order as the concepts build upon each other.
Exercise 1 - Taking a deeper look into community spaces
Exercise 2 - Community involvement checklist
Exercise 3 - Determining the strength of involvement
Exercise 4 - Getting involved to the fullest extent possible
