Since the onset of your injury or illness have you made changes to your home in order to accommodate the change in your physical abilities? If you have made changes such as installing ramps; rearranging furniture; or buying assistive equipment, then you have most likely done this to help make life easier and to be as independent as possible. Most of us who have experienced disability will modify our homes to maximise our independence and minimise our experience of disability.

 

If we think even bigger, can you imagine a world where the experience of disability is minimised outside our homes too? If buildings, shopping centres, workplaces, streetscapes and transport could be designed or modified to meet all levels of ability; if assistive equipment could assist us to do nearly everything we want to do; and if people accepted all people regardless of physical ability then we would be living in a world where the experience of disability would be minimised. This concept is the basis of the Social Model of Disability which suggests that disability is reduced in communities that are inclusive and supportive and which accommodate all people regardless of physical ability. 

 

In the past we may have had little control over our communities but as a wise song writer once said…“the times they are a’changin’”.

 

Please take a look at the Online Toolkit for information on what you can do to improve access and how you can help to build an inclusive and supportive community where you live. The personal stories in the section “How I changed the world” will hopefully give you some ideas of changes big and small that you can make in your world.