Everyone has the right to be in charge of their own lives.
But many people with intellectual disability do not get enough say about what they do every day.
That is why VALID’s Self Advocacy team works with people with disability who live in group homes, and their staff, to empower people with intellectual disability. To ’empower’ someone means to help them feel strong and confident.
The Self Advocacy team does this through group home resident meetings and group home resident focus groups.
Group home resident meetings
Lots of people with intellectual disability are not used to talking about things they think are important.
Group home resident meetings give people the chance to do this. For lots of people, it is the first time they have had this chance. These meetings are the first step for many people to get the confidence to advocate for themselves.
These meetings are also helpful for staff. Lots of staff want to help people they support with these things, and they find VALID’s information useful. Other staff are not sure because their service might be used to doing things for people instead of seeing how much they can learn.
VALID works with staff and residents to support everyone to learn what is possible for people with intellectual disability with tailored support. One way it does this is by making information accessible. When written information is in Easy English pictorial, it is much easier for lots of people to understand.
Group Home Resident Focus Groups and Speaking Up For Yourself (SUFY) groups
When people with intellectual disability are more confident, they can start to advocate for themselves.
Group home resident focus groups and SUFY give people the chance to do this. These groups give people with intellectual disability the opportunity to talk with their Area Managers about what they need and want in their homes.
Contact Details
Contact us for more information:
VALID Office: 03 9416 4003