“We are now in the era of community membership. We have moved past the time where simply being present in the community is sufficient. Integration is only meaningful if it is social integration…The vision today very clearly revolves around the experience of a good life – an ordinary, typical, yet valued life – a life lived well and with meaning” (Sherwin, 2002, p. 1)

During 2001-2003 CRU conducted research to examine this concept of a “good life” for people with disabilities. Has the vision been reached? Are people’s lives filled with freely given relationships and a strong sense of belonging? There is a strong and continuously evolving body of literature about enriching the lives of people with disabilities. CRU was eager to identify how well this knowledge has permeated practice and to develop a picture of what is happening in the lives of people with disabilities in Queensland today.

This project is therefore underpinned by our observations and by what services and families across Queensland have been telling CRU:

while many people with disabilities are present in the community, many people are lonely and isolated; they lack the level of interaction and relationships that people without disabilities take for granted.

This project is also driven by positive assumptions about the possibilities in community and by our knowledge that there are good stories out there … we need to find them, understand them, and enable people to share their experiences. By learning from these examples we can understand how communities can be made more welcoming, how people with disabilities can have rich and enduring relationships and how better to support the people we stand alongside.

Contact CRU on (07) 3211 5700 or email on cru@cru.org.au