To explore innovative options for disability housing that focus on user-choice and self-determination

My Fellowship will help me explore innovative housing models for people with disability that prioritise user choice and self-determination, while balancing care, independence, and affordability. This project will examine leading housing developments in the United States and Israel to understand how architecture, funding, care models, and governance can support inclusive communities. Through interviews, site visits, and research, I will investigate how these models enable people with disability to live independently, participate fully in community life, and access appropriate housing in the face of growing demand and limited resources.

Summary of findings

Through my Fellowship, I found that Australia faces a significant gap between policy intentions and the availability of accessible, inclusive housing. Despite strong legislative frameworks and the introduction of the NDIS, many people with disability still have limited choice over where and how they live, and accessible housing supply remains insufficient. The housing models I examined demonstrated that inclusive communities can successfully balance care and independence when people with disability are actively involved in design, governance, and decision-making.

I also found that the most successful models adopt a social model of disability, focusing on removing environmental and social barriers rather than limiting individual opportunity. Universal design, flexible support services, and strong community connections were critical to enabling independence. Partnerships between government, not-for-profit organisations, developers, and communities played an essential role in delivering sustainable, scalable housing solutions.

Summary of recommendations

Based on these findings, I recommend embedding universal design as a standard across all housing to ensure accessibility for people with diverse needs across their lifetime. People with disability should be actively involved in the design, governance, and delivery of housing to ensure solutions reflect lived experience and support genuine choice and independence.

There is also a need to support diverse housing models, including community-led developments and shared equity pathways, to improve affordability and increase housing options. Strengthening partnerships between government, housing providers, and the disability sector will be essential to scale innovative housing solutions and create inclusive communities that support long-term independence, participation, and wellbeing.

2023 Impact Funding: Develop Australian Design Guidelines for Access and Inclusion for residential development

Impact Project Overview

This project will develop Australian Design Guidelines for Access and Inclusion for application across residential development projects. The Guidelines will promote universal accessibility and improve the inclusivity and usability of built environments. They will address the full project lifecycle, from design and site selection through to operation and management, and will be supported by a flexible self-assessment tool. Initially voluntary, the Guidelines aim to support more inclusive design practices and contribute to a more accessible society.