Do you know 1 in every 6 people has a disability? That’s 16% of the world’s population in need of disability support services. 

Yet, multiple aspects of life are designed exclusively for non-disabled people. It puts disabled people at a disadvantage and causes them to experience social exclusion and socio-economic challenges like poverty, poor healthcare, and social welfare.

Even though people with disabilities have never been more active in our society than ever before, there’s a long way to go. While everyone suffers difficulties and hardships in life, it’s evident that for people with disability, barriers can be more frequent and have a greater impact. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also backs this up and expresses that these barriers are more than just physical obstacles. They limit their functioning and cause mental, social, and financial issues. 

The beginning to ending this social stigma and hardship for disabled people is disability inclusion. It allows everyone to participate in society and promotes them to thrive in life without the presence of limiting factors.

In this blog, let’s talk about disability inclusion in detail and understand its importance in today’s society.

What is Disability Inclusion?

Have you ever played a puzzle? It has different colours, shapes, and sizes. 

Now think of each piece of different colour, shape, and size as an individual person. 

Would you be able to complete the puzzle unless every piece of the puzzle is present? No, right? 

You need every single piece of the puzzle, as each of them is unique and important. 

Think of disability inclusion as this puzzle. When every individual, with their uniqueness, comes and fits together, it makes a beautiful puzzle. 

Disability inclusion, by definition, is about including individuals with disabilities in everyday activities and ensuring every person can fully participate in all aspects of society. It’s about offering every disabled individual access to resources and opportunities in ways that are similar to their non-disabled peers. Moreover, it ensures people with disabilities have the same access as others in areas of employment, communication, business, housing, products and services.

How to Promote Disability Inclusion?

Disability inclusion is not a switch you can turn on at any point. Instead, it’s like a dimmer that brings on a little more light persistently. 

Here’s how you can do your bit to enhance the speed of the journey of disability inclusion – 

• Encourage people who are at the top of the ladder to make extra effort and value, respect, and openly welcome people with disabilities. Inclusion should be an intentional consideration at all times and not a mere afterthought.
• Offer people with disabilities a seat at the table. Remember, they are a part of the solution. 
• People with disabilities come from different cultural, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They also live with physical, cognitive, or other types of disability. While the disability may not be too obvious, don’t presume someone’s capabilities. It’s offensive.
• Avoid inaccurate descriptors that are demeaning or dehumanising. It adds to the stigma. Instead, simply refer to someone’s disability for what it is. 
• Ask people with disabilities how they would like their disability to be addressed, if at all, to create an inclusive environment. Seek input from them.
• Focus on disabled people’s abilities, and not disabilities. Remember, they are more than their disability. Also, don’t patronise them; they are simply living their life and not showing heroship.

How Does NDIS Help to Get Disability Inclusion?

The NDIS supports 500,000+ Australians, with approximately 80,000 children, with a disability to access the services and support they need. Its primary function is to offer funds to eligible people with disabilities so that they gain more time with family and friends, greater independence, and access to new skills, jobs, or community participation. The goal is to provide them with an improved quality of life. 

NDIS, or National Disability Insurance Scheme, has set out a ten-year plan, including disability support services, to change the lives of people with disability. It aims to – 

• Provide national leadership towards greater inclusion of people with disabilities.
• Guide activity across all areas of public policy to be inclusive to people with disability.
• Drive mainstream services and improved systems to design better outcomes for people with disability.
• Engage, inform and involve the whole community in achieving a more inclusive society.

NDIS collaborates with NDIS registered providers to deliver individually tailored support services to disabled people in need. Whether you have an intellectual, physical, sensory, cognitive, or psychosocial disability, they will provide assistance to help you lead a normal life.

How Will It Help with Disability?

NDIS support coordinator offers support connection, support coordination and specialist support coordination to people with disabilities. Their assistance will offer them reasonable and necessary funding to access the support and services they need to live and enjoy their life. They can fulfil their goals, including getting a job, making friends or participating in local community activities.

Conclusion

Inclusion shouldn’t be a special ask. It should be the norm, for it’s central to equality. Every person should be able to participate in what life has to offer for an equal society. It’s disability inclusion that ensures everyone gets the same opportunities in social, educational, or employment settings.