From Locked Gates to Community Belonging: Real Voices on Disability Care
From Locked Gates to Community Belonging: Real Voices on Disability Care Support in disability and aged care has come a long way—from institutions and asylums to person-led care and community inclusion. But even now, how we design support still depends on the model we’re using—whether consciously or not. These models don’t just affect policies and funding. They shape how people are treated, how they feel about themselves, and what kind of future they can imagine. And while we often focus on modern best practice, it’s important to know where these models came from—and how echoes of the past still influence the present. 🧙♀️ Disability in Folklore and Fairy Tales Before we had formal systems or scientific diagnoses, societies used stories to explain difference—and those stories often weren’t kind. Changelings: In European folklore, a changeling was a child believed to have been swapped by fairies—often because the child behaved differently, didn’t speak, or didn’t make eye c...