NDRD

Well-located housing assists to build community participation by supporting frequent travel out of the home, offering connection with people in the local area. Consideration of access to shops, services and public transport is key, as well as examination of best paths of travel in the community. Specific to the home, considering a person’s ability to access car parking, collect mail, and put out or take in bins is important and may lead to incidental contact with neighbours and build participation in the home maintainer role. The use of accessible external spaces to the home may also allow leisure activities to be pursued, including gardening or visiting by friends and family.

As part of this project, we met with people living in a range of housing types and design categories of Specialist Disability Accommodation. We talked to them about their individual experiences of housing, their support needs, and participation in home and community life. We asked people to explain and demonstrate the features they found useful, and those identified as barriers, in their experiences. With the permission of participants, we also spoke to family and support staff. Key things to consider as a result of our findings are listed below.