30/05/2026
For over five years, disability advocates, families, and community members have been advocating for a Changing Places facility in our region.
Recently, the decision was made not to proceed.
While this post isn’t about assigning blame, it has left me reflecting on a question that sits at the heart of inclusion:
When we talk about accessibility, are we asking, “Can we afford it?” or are we asking, “Can we justify excluding people from community life?”
Because that’s what decisions like these ultimately come down to.
If you’ve never needed a Changing Places facility, it’s easy to see it as a piece of infrastructure.
But for many people with disability and their families, it represents something much bigger.
It represents the ability to attend community events.
To stay for the whole activity.
To travel.
To participate.
To belong.
The reality is that many of the barriers faced by people with disability aren’t created by their disability at all. They are created by decisions about what we prioritise, whose voices we listen to, and whose participation we value.
This is why disability inclusion cannot stop at awareness.
It cannot stop at compliance.
And it cannot stop at good intentions.
We must move beyond asking:
➡️ Can people access this space?
And start asking:
➡️ Can people genuinely participate, contribute, and belong here?
This is the conversation at the heart of our Access to Belonging training.
Developed from lived experience, professional practice, and years of community advocacy, this training helps organisations, councils, businesses, sporting clubs, and community groups understand the difference between simply providing access and creating genuine belonging.
Because inclusion is not measured by the policies we write.
It is measured by who is able to participate in community life.
This shift starts from understanding disability perspectives and as a community culture.
Take the first step to understanding with our Access To Belonging training
https://www.inclusivemovement.com.au/disability-cultural-awareness-training
