Here at the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL), we provide opportunities for people with disability, children with developmental delays and disability, their families, and carers to:

  • connect with others in their community
  • address barriers to true inclusion and accessibility in communities
  • use their skills and knowledge to achieve shared goals.

Our Community Capacity Building Team

We have a team dedicated to working with local communities to improve access and inclusion and provide opportunities for people with a disability.

From left, Jennifer Lumsden, Kath Struthers, Leah Robertson, Kelly Bolton, Hang Nguyen.

Our current projects

People with lived experience (people with disability, children with developmental delay, families, and carers) are always central to our work. Below is a snapshot of our current areas of work in the community. If you are interested in sharing your lived experience and ideas to help in building inclusive communities, contact our team to discuss further.

Be as involved as you would like and be reimbursed for your time.

Connecting Carers

BSL is working with local community organisations to establish a carers wellbeing group to increase accessibility and inclusion in local communities by providing activities and support for local carers.

Carers are those who support a family member or friend who has a disability, a medical condition, mental illness, or medical condition or who is frail due to age. They can be family members or friends, they can be parents, children, siblings, grandparents, or neighbours.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Kylie Clark
Email: kylie.clark@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 153 927

Hang Nguyen
Email: hang.nguyen@bsl.org.au
Call 0490 940 820

Inclusion in Hastings

BSL is working with locals and services in Hastings to improve community access and inclusion for children under 6 years and their families.

As experts in your local community, we want to hear from you about your ideas, experiences and what is important to you. Together we will explore ideas, test, and trial solutions.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Kath Struthers
Email: katherine.struthers@bsl.org.au
Call 0482 188 352

Stephanie Bryce
Email: Stephanie.Bryce@bsl.org.au

Traders Open for All

Imagine going to a local café or shop where everyone is welcome. The facilities are easily accessible for people with mobility issues, the attitudes of staff and community members are welcoming and communications like signage, menus, and verbal communication are inclusive of everyone.

We are working with people with lived experience, local trader associations, and local governments to find solutions to improving inclusion and accessibility at local shopping strips. We are currently involved in projects in Merri-bek and Kingston.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Jennifer Lumsden
Email: jennifer.lumsden@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 695 295

Kelly Bolton
Email: kelly.bolton@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 050 034

Inclusion in Faith Communities

Faith communities are a meeting place for people with different abilities, needs and interests, who want to belong and take part in their faith life. However, barriers including dated buildings, limited budgets, and a limited awareness of disability, access, and inclusion can make it challenging. We want to see faith communities with easy access, a strong sense of belonging and inclusion of people living with a disability.

This project is working with the Melbourne Anglican Diocese and a working group of people lived experience of disability to improve the culture of inclusion across their 200 parishes.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Jennifer Lumsden
Email: jennifer.lumsden@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 695 295

Universal Designs

Community festivals and events are open to all, though sometimes uncertainty over access and inclusion can create barriers to people attending.  We are working with community houses to ensure people have the information they need before an event and during to feel welcomed and included.

We will use co-design principles with people with lived experience to understand opportunities and find solutions to improve inclusion and accessibility at community events.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Katherine Struthers
Email: katherine.struthers@bsl.org.au
Call 0482 188 352

Kelly Bolton
Email: kelly.bolton@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 050 034

Teens at Work

We aim to work with young people with disability to improve opportunities and access to part-time jobs while attending school.

This project will be working with young people, their family and carers and key stakeholders to listen, find solutions to increase opportunities for young people with disability to get a part time job.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Jennifer Lumsden
Email: jennifer.lumsden@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 695 295

Kylie Clark
Email: kylie.clark@bsl.org.au
Call 0491 153 927

Inclusive Volunteering

Partnering with Volunteer West – Australian Multicultural Community Services, BSL is working with people with disability, carers, and volunteer managers to gather their ideas to improve volunteer opportunities in Melbourne’s west in 2024.

Interested to learn more?
Contact:

Katherine Struthers
Email: katherine.struthers@bsl.org.au
Call 0482 188 352

Hang Nguyen
Email: hang.nguyen@bsl.org.au
Call 0490 940 820