Family Advocacy

Family Advocacy encourages the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, other relatives and friends of people with developmental disability to attend events, become informed, and to take an active role in their family members' life.

Relationships - both of family and friends - are important both as a source of enrichment and as a safeguard for people with developmental disability.

Relationships for people who have a disability are frequently restricted to immediate family members (often largely to Mum and/or Dad) and to those in paid roles. The reasons for this are many. Many people with disability have restricted opportunities to explore and develop relationships outside the family. Their restricted life experiences have made it difficult for contact with a broad range of people. Their attempts may have failed and in turn may result in a reluctance to try again. Parents may even discourage the brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles and other family members from taking an active role in the life of their son or daughter with disability.

Family Advocacy believes that people who have developmental disability, like everyone else, benefit from having a rich social life that includes the extended family and members of the broader community. It is arguable that it is in fact more important for people with disability to have strong relationships with others, as they will need people standing beside them for all of their life, particularly once the parents are no longer able to be the prime source of love and support.

Having extended family members as pro-active role models for others is one way of progressing relationships between people with and without disability.

It is also important that people with disability have a range of people in their lives as a safeguard against harm.

It makes sense to increase the number of family members and friends who are actively involved in the life of a family member with disability.

Families have exerted great influence and leadership over time. In fact, families constitute a primary source of leadership within the community inclusion movement. Their power to effect change is, and always has been, grounded in love.

This leadership has shifted what the world does now, and continues to do, in relation to individuals with disability.

With more family members and friends involved, the number of people conscious of the needs and aspirations of the person with disability will be larger and make it more likely for him or her to have a good life of his or her choosing.