Module 2: Exploring your community
In the previous module we discussed random encounters with other people in the community as one way for people with intellectual disability to experience social inclusion.
There are many ways that you, as a disability support worker, can help create more opportunities for the people you support to experience such encounters with others in the community.
One way to do this is to support them to spend more time out in the community.
But in order to make the most out of time spent out in the community, in this module we consider which places in the community offer the best opportunities for encounters.
In the previous module we discussed random encounters with other people in the community as one way for people with intellectual disability to experience social inclusion.
There are many ways that you, as a disability support worker, can help create more opportunities for the people you support to experience such encounters with others in the community.
One way to do this is to support them to spend more time out in the community.
But in order to make the most out of time spent out in the community, in this module we consider which places in the community offer the best opportunities for encounters.
Exploring
opportunities for encounter in the community
When planning where to go, one of the dilemmas is between going to a familiar place or trying out a new one. The video below talks about the advantages of each option, and the importance of finding a balance between the two.
When planning where to go, one of the dilemmas is between going to a familiar place or trying out a new one. The video below talks about the advantages of each option, and the importance of finding a balance between the two.
Meeting places
We use the term 'meeting places' to describe those places that provide the best opportunities for people with intellectual disability to meet both familiar and new people.
Meeting places share three important characteristics:
Accessibility
If a service user has a physical disability such as mobility restrictions or, for example, needs support to use the toilet, it is important to check in advance that the place you will be visiting is physically accessible and designed in such a way that it could be used conveniently and as independently as possible by the service user.
Accessibility for people with intellectual disability means other things as well, beyond physical access.
'Communication accessibility' relates to how information is presented, and whether these formats are accessible for people with communication disabilities. Part of the 'communication accessibility' of a place is whether a venue’s staff - such as shop keepers or librarians - are able to communicate effectively with people with intellectual disability.
In a more general sense, an accessible environment is one where people are not excluded because they have an intellectual disability. A place where people with intellectual disability are asked to leave, or are not allowed to engage in activities with others, is an exclusionary rather than an accessible place. For example, a bowling club where people with intellectual disability cannot participate in games with others.
Conviviality
How do you know if a certain place is convivial?
Often as soon as you enter a place, you feel that it has a friendly atmosphere that encourages friendly encounters. This is what we mean by ‘convivial places'.
The table below helps characterise convivial places in more detail:
We use the term 'meeting places' to describe those places that provide the best opportunities for people with intellectual disability to meet both familiar and new people.
Meeting places share three important characteristics:
- They are mainstream places that are open to anyone in the community (as opposed to specialist places where people with disability are segregated)
- They are accessible places which are accessible and welcoming to people with intellectual disability
- They are convivial places where friendly interaction and conversation between people is encouraged
Accessibility
If a service user has a physical disability such as mobility restrictions or, for example, needs support to use the toilet, it is important to check in advance that the place you will be visiting is physically accessible and designed in such a way that it could be used conveniently and as independently as possible by the service user.
Accessibility for people with intellectual disability means other things as well, beyond physical access.
'Communication accessibility' relates to how information is presented, and whether these formats are accessible for people with communication disabilities. Part of the 'communication accessibility' of a place is whether a venue’s staff - such as shop keepers or librarians - are able to communicate effectively with people with intellectual disability.
In a more general sense, an accessible environment is one where people are not excluded because they have an intellectual disability. A place where people with intellectual disability are asked to leave, or are not allowed to engage in activities with others, is an exclusionary rather than an accessible place. For example, a bowling club where people with intellectual disability cannot participate in games with others.
Conviviality
How do you know if a certain place is convivial?
Often as soon as you enter a place, you feel that it has a friendly atmosphere that encourages friendly encounters. This is what we mean by ‘convivial places'.
The table below helps characterise convivial places in more detail:
Convivial places
Sociable
An atmosphere which encourages friendly interaction and conversation between people, including strangers. Intimate
A place where people feel more comfortable, informal and experience more personal communications with others. Inclusive
A place where people of different gender, age, cultural background, ability or other differences feel welcome and safe. Vibrant
Places teeming with life and energy, where exciting things are happening or can be expected to happen; there are opportunities for strangers to engage together in purposeful activity such as singing in a choir, drawing in an art group, or discussing a book in a reading club. |
Non-convivial places
Alienated
An atmosphere which discourages interaction between people. Impersonal
Places where people tend to remain anonymous and communications are more formal and less personal in nature. Exclusive
Places where only certain types of people are welcome; although these places can be very sociable for some people, for others these may be experienced as unsafe or unwelcoming places. Dull
Places where nothing too exciting is happening or can be expected to happen; each person seems to be 'doing their own thing' in isolation from others. |
In the video below, Dr Kurt Iveson, an urban geographer from the University of Sydney, talks about the meaning and importance of convivial places:
Activity 2
Activity 2a: map meeting places in your own community
Select any four places in the local area (neighbourhood or suburb) where you live, such as a park, a shop, a café, an entertainment venue, a library, a community centre or other. Include at least one place you have never visited before.
You can find ideas and information about such places in your local newspaper or google maps.
Make time in the next two weeks to visit each of these places at least once. Think of yourself as an explorer, an amateur detective trying to capture the atmosphere and essence of places just by strolling through and observing the physical settings and the social interaction that is taking place there.
Based on your observations, describe in a few sentences whether the place is welcoming, and whether the atmosphere in the place is sociable or alienated, intimate or impersonal, inclusive or exclusive, vibrant or dull. Which of the places you visited would offer the best opportunities for you to encounter strangers? What risks should be considered in relation to activities in this place?
Activity 2b: map meeting places in the community of the people you support
Now that you have mapped meeting places in your local area, it is time to try and map meeting places in the area where a person with intellectual disability you support lives.
You can do this individually, or as a team (for example, a team of disability support workers working in the same area).
Start by listing a number of places in the local area which you think might potentially be good ‘meeting places’. Include both familiar and unfamiliar places.
Then, like in the previous exercise, visit those places and take notes based on your observations: are these places accessible and welcoming for people with intellectual disability? Sociable or alienated? Intimate or impersonal? Inclusive or exclusive? Vibrant or dull? Which of these places would offer the best opportunities for people with intellectual disability to encounter strangers and experience social inclusion? What risks should be considered in relation to activities in this place?
Activity 2a: map meeting places in your own community
Select any four places in the local area (neighbourhood or suburb) where you live, such as a park, a shop, a café, an entertainment venue, a library, a community centre or other. Include at least one place you have never visited before.
You can find ideas and information about such places in your local newspaper or google maps.
Make time in the next two weeks to visit each of these places at least once. Think of yourself as an explorer, an amateur detective trying to capture the atmosphere and essence of places just by strolling through and observing the physical settings and the social interaction that is taking place there.
Based on your observations, describe in a few sentences whether the place is welcoming, and whether the atmosphere in the place is sociable or alienated, intimate or impersonal, inclusive or exclusive, vibrant or dull. Which of the places you visited would offer the best opportunities for you to encounter strangers? What risks should be considered in relation to activities in this place?
Activity 2b: map meeting places in the community of the people you support
Now that you have mapped meeting places in your local area, it is time to try and map meeting places in the area where a person with intellectual disability you support lives.
You can do this individually, or as a team (for example, a team of disability support workers working in the same area).
Start by listing a number of places in the local area which you think might potentially be good ‘meeting places’. Include both familiar and unfamiliar places.
Then, like in the previous exercise, visit those places and take notes based on your observations: are these places accessible and welcoming for people with intellectual disability? Sociable or alienated? Intimate or impersonal? Inclusive or exclusive? Vibrant or dull? Which of these places would offer the best opportunities for people with intellectual disability to encounter strangers and experience social inclusion? What risks should be considered in relation to activities in this place?
Conclusion
Some places can be described as 'meeting places', because they provide many opportunities for encounters between strangers. These places are accessible and welcoming for people with intellectual disability, but they are also mainstream places which provide opportunities to meet other people who do not have an intellectual disability. The atmosphere in such meeting places is convivial, encouraging friendly encounters between strangers. Exploring your community to identify in advance such 'meeting places' can be a very effective way to support people with intellectual disability to achieve greater social inclusion.
Some places can be described as 'meeting places', because they provide many opportunities for encounters between strangers. These places are accessible and welcoming for people with intellectual disability, but they are also mainstream places which provide opportunities to meet other people who do not have an intellectual disability. The atmosphere in such meeting places is convivial, encouraging friendly encounters between strangers. Exploring your community to identify in advance such 'meeting places' can be a very effective way to support people with intellectual disability to achieve greater social inclusion.