Citizenship is a key part of our mission at Spectrum Society for Community Living. It’s right there in the first sentence of our Mission Statement:
Spectrum Society’s mission is to support people with disabilities to experience full citizenship and genuine belonging in community. We are committed to continuous learning and improvement through research into leadership and best practice. As a service providing agency, our focus is on strengthening the capacity of individuals and their personal networks, augmenting rather than replacing natural supports.
Full citizenship is more than a passport or voting.
Spectrum is a member of the Citizen Network – an organization that shares information and strategies on citizenship for people with disabilities around the world. Their website is here: https://citizen-network.org/. Simon Duffy was a keynote speaker at one of the Inclusion BC conferences before the pandemic and he spoke about citizenship.
There are seven keys to citizenship. These are essential to our capacity to live as a citizen, to be respected as an equal and to make a full contribution to the life of the community:
- Meaning – We have a life of meaning and purpose
- Freedom – We are free to lead life our way
- Money – We have enough money for independence
- Help – We need other people who can work with us
- Home – We have a place of our own where we belong
- Community – We contribute to our community
- Love – We are in relationships that matter
Here is a helpful graphic that identifies the seven keys to citizenship:
You can learn more about these keys by watching this video with Simon Duffy: