Belong
What is belong?
Belong is a community of disabled people- no workers, parents or carers (unless they’re disabled too).
“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 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, 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
- Campaigns Group
- Rainbow Collective
- Art and Making
- Group for people experiencing Connective Tissue and Related Disorders
- Neurodiverse Group
- Online Games
- Practicing Disability Pride
- Painsomniacs
- Just Joy
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.
We will invite you to an introduction on Zoom where we talk about how Belong works, and how we make sure our meetings are safe and accessible for everyone.
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.