A light purple white gradient background. Dark purple graphics on the 7 topics covered each day. Text reads: International Day of People with Disability. One small thing.

#OneSmallThing - Day 4 (Thursday 30 November): Housing and Community

Inclusive Neighbourhoods

The Inclusive Neighbourhoods initiative aims to reduce social isolation and loneliness among South Australians by encouraging people to build and maintain relationships with their neighbours, particularly neighbours who may be experiencing vulnerability, by providing information about existing neighbourhood initiatives or how to establish their own.

Inclusive Neighbourhoods aims to overcome some of the risks of social isolation by allowing people to:

Build friendships, supports, skills through interest groups
Feel a genuine sense of welcome
Enjoy a valued contributory role
Engage in activities on a regular, repeated basis

Neighbourhood initiatives such as sports and society groups, community gardens, churches, open cafes, and organised events all provide opportunities for inclusion.

Here are some tips for how you can encourage others to feel a sense of belonging when they participate in neighbourhood initiatives:

Say “hello”
Find the common value – ask about a person’s interests and passions
Think access – ask what might make access difficult and how you might address this
Invite someone to come along
Think roles, not activities – get to know a person and find a role that could be a good fit for them
Think about how you can support people to build social connections

> Download the ‘Inclusion starts with me’ flyer (PDF)

You can find more information about Getting Started on the Inclusive Communities website.

For more information visit Inclusive Neighbourhoods in Action.

Building accessibility into your new home

Imagine living in accommodation where you are unable to access or use parts of the property, for example the toilet or shower? What if you couldn’t get in and out of your own front door without a high level of assistance or costly modifications? A lack of accessible housing means some people have found themselves isolated in their homes, unable to visit friends or family, or participate in ordinary life.

The implementation of the National Construction Code 2022 (NCC 2022) Livable Housing Design Standard, to be implemented by October 2024, will make new homes more accessible for all South Australians.

Read our media release for more information about this change.

This is great news when it comes to new builds, but what are some things that you can do to make your existing home more accessible?

Keep living spaces as open and uncluttered as possible.
Create raised garden beds for easier access.
Utilise technology to automate home processes.
Add flat entrances through doorways.

Using some of the above tips, see how Glenda transformed a historic bungalow into a colourful accessible oasis.

Got #OneSmallThing you'd like to share on any of the topics above? We'd love to hear from you!

Simply send us an email at media@juliafarr.org.au or message us on socials with your #OneSmallThing - it can be a quick mobile video, something in writing, an audio file, a drawing, or any other medium that works for you!