CEO Insights

In my previous Insight, I explored what happens when national systems aren’t designed with disability in mind, and the barriers this creates for people simply trying to access the support they need. I want to take that conversation further, because our experience shows that when environments are designed around people and with people, the impact is transformative. Visibility, belonging and independence are not ideas on a page. They are the standards we lead by, and the standards we believe should shape every part of the system.

We often talk about accessibility in terms of ramps, communication tools, sensory-aware spaces or flexible processes. These are essential because they remove barriers and open the door. But time and again, we see that access alone is not enough. Access gets someone into the room. Belonging gives them the confidence to stay, contribute and shape their own path. Belonging creates possibility, and possibility is where independence grows.

A few weeks after joining Touchbase, a member told us he felt “seen” for the first time in years because we spoke to him like an adult. Not slowly. Not in a sing-song tone. Not with the exaggerated cheerfulness he had experienced elsewhere. Just normally. Respectfully. As himself.

He uses a voice communication aid and is a wheelchair user, with support staff alongside him throughout the day. What we know from working alongside people with disabilities is that assumptions can be as limiting as any physical barrier. In many environments, people had assumed that because he communicated differently, his cognitive ability must be impaired. That assumption became the barrier, not his disability.

He is intelligent, sociable and very funny. But people couldn’t see past what their eyes told them. They saw the chair, the communication device, the support staff, and made a judgement before he had even spoken. This is an access issue every bit as real as a missing ramp or an inaccessible form. It is what happens when visibility is limited to assumptions rather than who a person is.

Back in 2024, I wrote a short reflection for a project that still feels painfully relevant today. I wrote about how society often teaches people to look at disability with only their eyes, to see equipment or support first and the person second. I wrote about how quickly we judge, how easily expectations are lowered, and how often people’s abilities, ambitions and personalities are overlooked. The message was simple: disability is not a definition, and it does not define a person’s worth. People deserve to be seen for who they are, not reduced to what others assume.

Assumptions are one of the most persistent barriers people face, and they are often the easiest to remove when we choose to see the person, not the stereotype.

And this is where the system must change. Too often, systems are built around processes rather than people, and the result is predictable. Those who need support most are the ones forced to work the hardest to access it. This cannot continue. When systems are designed around and with people, everything changes. Outcomes improve. Confidence grows. Independence becomes possible. What must change now is the mindset that disability automatically limits potential. Until we challenge that assumption at every level, from frontline practice to national policy, people will continue to face barriers that should never have existed.

At Touchbase, we are intentional about designing with people, not for them. Some examples include:

• Member conversations where we meet each person twice a year to talk about their goals, challenges, strengths and aspirations.
• A new Members’ Forum that will meet regularly and feed ideas, concerns and opportunities directly to me and to the Board.
• Relationships first because relationships open doors to new opportunities in a way policies alone never can.
• Policy shaped by a can-do attitude because policy should enable potential, not restrict it before it is even explored.

This is what belonging looks like in practice. It is the moment someone realises they do not have to fight to be taken seriously.

When systems work, when environments are designed around people, when communication is respectful and when assumptions are challenged, access becomes more than a physical adjustment. It becomes an invitation to participate fully. Community becomes a catalyst for confidence. Creativity builds independence. And people feel able to bring their whole selves into the room.

Belonging does not happen by accident. It is a leadership choice that shapes culture, expectations and outcomes. Our work shows what is possible when inclusion is designed intentionally. When people feel they belong, they stop surviving systems and start shaping their own lives.

That is why these reflections matter. Each Insight is an opportunity to examine what truly enables visibility, belonging and independence, not in theory but in the everyday moments that define people’s experiences. By understanding what helps people flourish, we can build more of it across our community and challenge the assumptions that hold people back.

We encourage organisations, leaders and partners and all of you reading to stand with us, to learn from what works, to challenge what does not, and to help build systems that enable rather than exclude. This system must be redesigned, and that work will only happen when we act together.

After reading this, take a moment to reflect on your own environment, professionally and personally. Ask yourself:

• Are there barriers you may be unconsciously creating?
• Can someone physically get into your building or service, but do they have a reason to belong?
• Are assumptions shaping your expectations of others without you realising it? Does your policy and/or attitude reflect a can-do attitude, or does it unintentionally limit potential?

Real change begins with awareness. Belonging begins with intention. Inclusion begins with each of us choosing to do better. If you share this commitment and want to be part of driving this change forward, I welcome the conversation.