The Not Just Work website is about exploring the relationships that are forged by people with disabilities and the people who work to support them.
Vince and Gus on holidays together in the Owens Valley.
We want to educate those who work in the disability field, or hope to work there in the future, about the emotional realities of the job. We also wish to provide a platform for people with disabilities and for support workers of all types to tell their stories about the dynamics of real relationships that have emerged in the course of their work. We hope that educating people about the dynamics of these partnerships will give them tools to enhance their relationships and therefore allow both parties to work to create relationships which are more beneficial to both.
There are many potential benefits for developing healthy and mutually beneficial partnerships. Recognising that disability support is not all a one-way street where the able-bodied person has the abilities and the disabled person needs “caring” is an important step towards these benefits.
- Ricky Buchanan