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Belong

Photo of two people smiling and laughing together. One is a person with dark brown skin and short dark hair, wearing a light blue denim jacket and grey and black striped t-shirt. The other person has tan skin and long blonde hair, with a brown off-the-shoulder shirt that shows black and white tattoos on their arm. This person smiles with their mouth open, as if they'd just heard a great joke. The two are seated together on a bench outside, huddled close.

What is belong?

Belong is a community of disabled people – no workers, parents or carers (unless they’re disabled too).

Belong is also FREE!

“It has brought me so much joy. I have been searching my whole life for a tribe like this.”

– Belong member

Whatever your culture, gender identity, age or disability, you are welcome here. In Belong you are safe to unmask, be yourself and be heard by others who get it. 

“Speaking with people who share your lived experience lightens your mental load, and for an hour or two a week you get to be with your community. You learn how to listen meaningfully, and you are listened to and validated. It’s a safe space that is very hard to come by in our world.” 

– Belong member

We are run by and for the community. Together we share our experiences, wisdom and support. We meet new friends and build connections.

We share information and opportunities with each other. Sometimes we work together to do advocacy about big issues.

How do we connect?

There are different ways you can get involved:

  • online groups with Zoom meetings
  • in person events
  • Discord server
  • WhatsApp chats
  • emails and newsletters

Ideas for different groups and activities come from Belong members. Our current groups include: 

  • Pain and Yuck Club – for people managing chronic pain
  • Campaigns Group – a way to get involved in systemic advocacy
  • Rainbow Collective – for the LGBTQIA+ community
  • Art and Making –  for artists, makers and creators
  • Group for people experiencing Connective Tissue and Related Disorders
  • ND Group – for everyone under the neurodivergent umbrella
  • Online Games – for trivia and online board games
  • Painsomniacs – for anyone who finds themselves awake at night
  • Joy – a place to share all the things that bring joy and make us smile

Who is Belong for?

Wondering if your disability counts? Well it does! But here are some that we think of:

  • Physical disabilities 
  • Learning disabilities 
  • Being Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing
  • Speech/communication conditions  
  • Being blind or vision impaired
  • Chronic health conditions (eg. MS, arthritis, Chronic Fatigue/ME) 
  • Prolonged physical or mental illness  
  • Mental health conditions
  • Acquired brain injury
  • Neurodivergence of all forms (including ADHD, autism, mental illness and more)
  • People experiencing chronic health and  
  • People who are self-identifying, undiagnosed, or in the process of diagnosis

If this sounds interesting and you would like to find out more, fill out the form below.

The first step is an introduction to how Belong works, and how we make sure our meetings are safe and accessible for everyone. 

We recommend doing this on Zoom if possible, but if that is not accessible there are other ways we can share this.

After the introduction, you are welcome to participate as much or as little as you like. Maybe you want to feel connected to community but don’t have time to attend meetings. It’s fine to join Belong just to receive email updates. 

We would love to welcome you here. 

Join Belong!

You can book a date for your welcome workshop here

What's on for this month?

A calendar view of the Belong events and meetings for September