Supporting people with disabilities requires an intersectional, holistic approach that treats them like people. While medical intervention and support are crucial in providing a high quality of life for someone with disabilities, it is not the full picture.
Providing social support, including access, is crucial for improving the quality of life for people with disabilities. Someone with community access will have better health outcomes and better mental health than someone with the same condition who spends a lot of time in isolation.
Here are a few reasons why community access is such a priority when creating care plans for people with disabilities.
Community with People in Similar Situations Lessens Isolation
The purpose of community access for people with disabilities is to help people feel less alone.
There’s a reason why many support plans prioritise community access in their write-ups. After conducting functional assessments for NDIS purposes, providers will calculate what forms of support someone needs to be in the community with others. This can look like a paraprofessional accompanying a child with disabilities to school, providing a communication device, or arranging transportation.
With the right support, people with disabilities can do the same things others can do, including participate in the community. A support plan adapts society to the person with a disability, improving access and integration. A support plan can also include group outings or meetings with other people with disabilities.
Everyone finds strength from interacting with someone going through similar things, and people with disabilities are no different. Communicating with other people who are going through the same things is more relaxing because you don’t have to explain your condition constantly or worry about accessibility. Finding community with people who have similar experiences can help someone with a disability feel less alone.
Community Access Decreases Mental Health Problems
Besides the physical challenges that their disability creates, people with disabilities experience problems with their mental well-being at a higher rate than people without disabilities. Although this problem is surprisingly understudied, initial studies connect the poorer well-being of people with disabilities with their feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Someone with a disability has a harder time participating in everyday activities where other people find community, such as school, work, or sports. People who develop disabilities later in life often report old friends fading away and spending less time with them. Making spontaneous plans is more difficult because they have to worry about the accessibility of a new place.
To counteract the effect of this isolation, support plans create provisions for community access. Helping someone navigate community access and increase their social interactions increases the feeling of normalcy in their life. It also decreases the loneliness that they feel, which in turn reduces the risk of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Since mental well-being is closely connected with physical well-being, better community access has a direct role in improving health outcomes for someone with a disability.
Community Access is Crucial for Meeting Other Goals
Another reason why community access is so important in disability support plans is that it is often a prerequisite for meeting other support plan goals. If someone wants to finish school or start work, being able to access a community is usually the first step.
Before entering a structured environment such as a workplace, someone with a disability usually needs to get used to navigating simpler environments and circumstances, such as a community centre. Spending time with other people and attending community events is crucial in building independence and preparing for the next step of education or a job.
Someone won’t be able to meet their other goals regarding societal integration if they don’t have access to the community. Working on accessibility helps build socialisation skills and important tasks related to occupational therapy. Putting in accessibility protocols for going to a community centre can also help with creating a plan for meeting other goals.
For many people with disabilities, being part of the community is an important goal in and of itself. For others, it’s an important first step towards meeting other goals.
Why Community Access Should Be Part of Every Person’s Support Plan
After meeting basic health needs, one of the most important things in every support plan for someone with a disability is socialisation and community. Meeting with other people who are going through similar things reduces feelings of isolation and helps a person feel accepted. Community access is also important for reducing the risk of depression and mental health problems, which are prevalent among people with disabilities.
A thorough support plan can help someone with a disability overcome the barriers stopping them from feeling part of the community and meet their goals for socialisation and independent living on their own terms.