Series 1: Ep 5) What Does Inclusion Mean To ME? - Dean Richards

Well, what does inclusion mean to you? Despite an accident leaving Dean Richards with quadriplegia he leads a very rich life, working, socialising, and receiving life membership of his community football club. Dean remains very much included and in this episode encourages people to embrace informal supports to foster spontaneity and to develop social roles within the community. He also discusses some of the dangers that come with an over reliance on paid supports.

Dean Richards

Dean Richards lives in Melbourne and is an active contributor to his workplace and local footy club. He enjoys being a part of his local community and getting around Melbourne. Dean’s introduction to disability services came following an accident in 1987 which resulted in Quadriplegia. Originally Dean was supported by his parents who understood flexibility and providing supports when they suited him, however his family become increasingly worried about the day when they would no longer be around to support him. Inevitably, Dean learnt that services were not always flexible enough to meet his needs as more often than not they met the needs of workers or the service provider. This led to Dean working with a small group of people to develop a flexible night-time service called Nightlife in 2007. Nightlife enables people with disabilities to remain living in their own home and direct their own supports in a way that meets their needs. In this podcast, Dean discusses some of the assumptions he has faced, the strength of community connection and naturally occurring relationships and how paid supports can get in the way! Dean’s Podcast is narrated by Brett Carrol.

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Original publication: Richards, D. (2013). What does inclusion mean to me? In Thinking About what it means to be included. Issue 17, pp 10-15. Belonging Matters: Melbourne