Start: Wed 02 Sep, 2026 10:00 End: Wed 16 Sep, 2026 12:00
Location: Online, via Zoom over three sessions
Part 3 of the Imagining Better series 2026
Presented by: Janet Klees, Selena Blake
Life is so much better with friends!
In this three-part series, you will learn how to support a person with disability to develop genuine and enduring friendships with people in their communities, regardless of their age or support needs.
Discover how you can recognise, encourage and design opportunities in which the miracle of friendship is more likely to occur for people with disability.
This is one of our most popular workshops and will be a fabulous series to attend alongside extended familyand allies.
All sessions are online, and the series is free.
About the workshop
“You cannot create a relationship….but you can recognise, encourage and design opportunities in which the miracle of friendship is more likely to occur.”
Janet Klees
The workshop is based on the belief that when our communities are able to invite, welcome, and appreciate the contributions of their most vulnerable members, we all benefit.
Who should attend?
This event is for people with disability, their family members and those who support them, including friends, extended family, and members of your Circle of Support.
Workshop 1
- Wednesday, 2 September 2026 from 10:00 to 12:00 pm AEST
- A theory session with guest speakers Janet Klees and Selena Blake, laying the foundations of strength-based introductions that can lead to greater inclusion, more opportunities, and stronger connections
Workshop 2
- Wednesday, 9 September 2026 from 10:00 to 12:00 pm AEST
- A practical interactive session designed to put what you have learned into action.
Workshop 3
- Wednesday, 16 September 2026 from 10:00 to 12:00 pm AEST
- A practical interactive session designed to put what you have learned into action.
Please share this registration link with others.
The Imagining Better series
Building a context for relationship is part of a larger workshop series called Imagining Better.
The four workshops in this series are:
- Vision: Imagining the future with hope and purpose: 17 June, 24 June, and 1 July (replay now available)
- The power of positive introductions: 22 July, 29 July, and 5 August (replay now available)
- Building a context for relationship: 2, 9, and 16 September
- Rethinking supports and funding: 14, 21, and 28 October
When you register for this workshop, you can choose to attend the others as well.
Good to know
- Due to the interactive nature of this series, there is a limited number of places available.
- This workshop is free to attend as it is fully funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency through a Peer Support and Capacity Building grant.
- This series has been designed for families. If you are an educator or support professional, please contact Anne at anne@imaginemore.org.au
- When you register for this workshop, you’ll be invited to register your interest in the rest of the Imagining Better series, which will take place throughout the year.
Meet the Speakers
Janet Klees
Janet Klees has been involved in the lives of people with disabilities, their families, and community allies for about 40 years. For nearly 10 years, Janet has been the Executive Director of the Durham Association for Family Resources and Support (DAFRS) in a region near Toronto, Canada. DAFRS works in partnership with families to imagine, plan, and implement good lives in the community for people with disability. They utilise a principled, family-led, one-person-at-a-time, and SRV-anchored approach.
Prior to this, Janet coordinated the family-governed Deohaeko Support Network of seven families for over twenty years. She credits this work for giving her much of her practical experience.
Janet is a talented writer and has published three books directly rooted in the Deohaeko experience (We Come Bearing Gifts, Our Presence Has Roots, and Deohaeko Decades). She also writes various articles and other documents to support her work and thinking.
Janet continues to meet, share and learn with families and their chosen organisations in many parts of the world, with a focus on
- principled strategies to bring about roles, relationship, and places of belonging
- working together with families in real partnership, and
- helping families to build powerhouse support teams and welcoming, inclusive communities.
Selena Blake
Selena Blake is known for walking alongside people with disability and families who strive to build good, full lives anchored in community. She is a co-creator of initiatives spearheaded by families and community members. She also mentors others who want to journey with families in everyday, ordinary ways.
For over seventeen years, Selena has worked on social justice initiatives that consider the complexities of intersectionality. She is currently the Director of Family Support for the Durham Association for Family Resources and Support. Here, she guides young families in building and sustaining circles of support and networks.
