Towards Inclusive Practice is a national project led by Inclusion Australia with our members around the country. The project is about telling government how to be more inclusive of people with an intellectual disability.

As part of Towards Inclusive Practice we have set up a national network of people with an intellectual disability to discuss important issues and make resources for Government on inclusive practices.

The team from SACID – the South Australian Council on Intellectual Disability –   reached out to us to share their story. Find out more about Team SACID below!

Hello!

We are ‘Go Team SACID’ from South Australia. We are Gavin, Thomas, Libby and Jo. Our facilitator is Mel.

Why the Towards Inclusive Practice project is important to us

We all have a passion for helping others. We want to share our stories to help inspire others to learn and to thrive as a person.

Towards Inclusive Practice is important so that the government can hear what people with intellectual disability have to say.

We hope that what we say will help make a difference in how the government supports and understands us, and other people with intellectual disability.

An example of a great, inclusive experience.

For Gavin and Libby, being a part of a peer group has been a great inclusive experience. “The peer group allows us both to have a voice and be part of a group that makes a difference. We can make new friends and connect with people who have same experiences and share things in common. We are not alone, there are other people like us. We can support each other.”

Thomas and Jo are part of a social group where they help young people with disability connect with others and be involved in social and community events and activities. The group helps people improve their social skills and meet new friends.

We all think being a part of this project is a great inclusive experience. We are working together, learning new skills and talking about topics that are useful in life. We work in a team and support each other. We get the job done. We listen to each other, we care for each other, and we make sure everyone is included.

What I am learning from this project?

We are halfway through the project, and we have learned:

• We have the right to stick up for things and talk about issues.
• We have the power to speak up for ourselves.
• We have learned more about ourselves through the topics – power, trust and inclusive meetings.
• We have reflected on experiences in the past. It has helped us recognise when we have been in powerful situations, how we can be more powerful; and how and when to trust others.
• We have learned to look at different ways to support each individual person and … new ways of doing things.
• We have learned some new work skills.

“From this project, I have learned that sharing my story, I am a powerful woman.  – Libby

What do you really enjoy about being part of this project?

The things we really enjoy about this project are:

• We have a voice to make a difference and we feel like we are being heard.
• It is rewarding. We are learning new skills through this job.
• We have met new people who we may not have met otherwise. We are learning about each other and building friendships.
• We come up with good discussions and information.
• We are part of the bigger team – working with others in different states.
• We really look forward to the opportunity to attend the national workshop and meeting the other state representatives.
• Something is coming out from the project.
• We are part of a team.

To find out more about the Towards Inclusive Practice project, visit our project page: https://www.inclusionaustralia.org.au/project/towards-inclusive-practice/

For more about SACID and their work, visit: https://sacid.org.au/