Background

The Community Participation & Inclusion Sub-Committee usually meets 4 times a year.  Richard Collins took over as chair of the group in June 2008.  Claire Maher co-chaired one meeting with Richard at the end of 2008.

Principles of the Group

During 2008, the group adopted a set of principles for their meetings:

• Only one person speaks at a time.
• The group listens to the person who is speaking.
• People cannot talk for too long.
• Mobile phones must be turned off.
• People in the group should respect each other.

Work Activities

The members of the group are involved in various work activities:

• The Community Participation Group made a presentation called "A True Home" to the National Federation Research Sub-Committee on 21 September 2009 to contribute to the Living Options "Where we Live" Research Project.
• Mary Gavin has written an article called “The Things I’d Like to Change” and this article was published in Frontline magazine, No 75 2009.  Congratulations to Mary on producing the first news article.
• An article on the work of the Community Participation group was published in Frontline magazine, No 75 2009.
• The Sub-Committee continue to disseminate the findings from People Connecting, including meetings with advocacy councils etc. People Connecting was the result of a consultation with people who avail of intellectual disability services on the Barriers, Incentives and Solutions to Community Participation & Inclusion, together with Recommendations to the Board of the National Federation.  Over 900 copies of People Connecting have now been circulated.
• In 2008, the Community Participation & Inclusion Sub-Committee made a presentation to the National Federation Research Sub-Committee on areas of possible research based on the “People Connecting” consultation document. This presentation formed part of the Research Sub-Committee’s consultation process with people who access services to determine what research is important to them.  A copy of the National Federation easy-to-read Research Strategy is available here.
• Sub-Committee members - Bernadette Casey, Aine Kerr, Mary Lannon, Mary Lucey, Noleen Moore, Brian Donohoe and Breda Casey - delivered training on Working with Consultation Groups to the Inclusive Research Network workshops during 2008. The Inclusive Research Network is a group of people who come together to do or talk about research that is about people with intellectual disabilities.
• Two research interns from the National Institute of Intellectual Disability (NIID) who were involved in assisting with the organization, setting up and transcription of focus groups for the National Survey of people with intellectual disabilities facilitated focus group training in Dublin and Clare. The training involved how to set up a focus group and also training for people to become focus group co-facilitators. A number of people from the Community Participation group attended the training and a copy of the documentation “Action Skills for Focus Groups” was made available to all members of the group.
• In October 2007 the National Federation held it’s conference on innovation “New Ideas New Approaches”. Brian Donohoe & Cabrini de Barra represented the committee at the conference by making a presentation about the work of the sub-committee and findings and recommendations from People Connecting.  They presented at the workshop "How can we help people have their say".
• In 2007, the Community Participation group published People Connecting - the findings from Consultative Workshop on the Barriers, Incentives and Solutions to Community Participation & Inclusion of People with Intellectual Disability, together with
  Recommendations to the Board of the National Federation
   

Issues Discussed

The group discusses a wide range of issues, including:

• Where people choose to live
• Capacity and consent - The government has plans to introduce capacity legislation.
• Inclusive research - The Inclusive Research Network is a group of people who come together to do research or talk about research that is about people with intellectual disabilities.  This network is for anyone interested in this type of research e.g., people from services, self-advocacy groups, organisations, researchers and community groups.
• Transport issues, especially in rural areas 
• Developing life stories - ‘A Story to Tell’ project, which is running in the National Institute for Intellectual Disability (NIID), Trinity College Dublin is a website that houses the archive of some of the stories that have been shared by people with an intellectual disability as part of a project that has been running in the NIID since 2007.
• People managing their own money
• Community Food Project. This is a joint project with the HSE and the Department of Agriculture & Food to develop community gardens around the country.
• Claire Maher updated the group on the work of the Gold Star Task Group in Cashel, Co. Tipperary. Claire is a member of this group. This group is looking at issues like, access, awareness, involvement in social activities, transport etc. for people with disabilities. It’s a very good example of a group that involves everyone in decisions that affect their local area. 
• and lots of other topics

Workshops/Seminars

A number of Sub-Committee members attended the following workshops / conferences:

• Community Capacity, Engagement and Inclusion - Experiences from Alberta, Canada - Bruce Uditsky & Anne Hughson - 25th August 2009, BOC Clare
• Inclusive Post-Secondary Education - Experience from Alberta, Canada - Bruce Uditsky & Anne Hughson - Workshop in Brothers of Charity Services Clare, 24 August 2009
• “A Sense of Belonging” – by David Pitonyak. This was a workshop organised by Brothers of Charity Clare.
• Taking Control conference – a conference on individualized funding organized by an alliance of disability organizations. Also included a workshop by PLAN Canada.
• A “How to Guide” to Social Inclusion organised by Nurture Development, Dublin
• 1-day workshop entitled “What is a Home?” facilitated by Darcy Elks from the US. This was organised by Brothers of Charity Services Clare.
• A workshop on the development of an EU policy on Social Farming, facilitated by UCD, was also attended.

Publications

Best practice documentation is provided to our Sub-Committee members on an ongoing basis.  The group also examined the following publications:

• “Public Attitudes to Disability in Ireland” published by the National Disability Authority.
• An easy-to-read guide on accessibility published by the National Disability Authority - a Code of Practice for public organisations like government departments, county councils, local authorities, public libraries
• “The Right Living Space”, a document on housing and homes which was produced by the Citizens Information Board and Disability Federation of Ireland. The National Federation have developed an easy-to-read version accessible here.
• EASPD draft position paper on “Strategies Facilitating the Development of Community Based Settings and Person Centred Services”.
• National Federation Innovation Conference Proceedings (October 2007). An easy-to-read version of the conference proceedings were prepared by Brian Donohoe and circulated to the group.
• Circles Initiative – Information Guide – Working to Open Doors to Community Life
• “In Praise of Slow Inclusion” written by Peter Bates from the National Development Team in the UK
• HIQA draft standards for disability services – easy to read version
• National Federation Research Strategy – easy to read
• Volunteering in Intellectual Disability Services in Ireland:  Supporting People to Live the Life of their own Choice in their own Community - the findings from a National Federation survey of volunteering in our member organisations.