The Imagining Home Conference

For most of us, our adult lives really got going when we moved out of the family home and into a place of our own. Whether we made that first leap alone or with housemates, whether we rented, were hosted, or bought our own place, we likely enjoyed and took great pride in creating a space from which we could explore the world and be independent from our parents.

People with disability don’t always follow the same journey. Some end up in group homes, others remain in the family home with ageing parents. Many find themselves in living arrangements entirely decided upon and organised by others.

That’s not what we want for our loved ones with disability, which is why we’ve convened the Imagining Home conference. This two-day conference will invite people with disability and their families to explore the many options available for creating a home.

We’ll address topics such as

• Whether a person can live in a home of their own when they have significant support needs (the answer is yes, and you’ll see examples)
• How to ensure the person is safe and well-supported
• Whether a person can successfully leave institutionalised care and move into a place of their choosing (they can, and you’ll see examples)
• Why home is about so much more than finding the bricks and mortar

You’ll hear from an amazing lineup of speakers, including many people with disability who have successfully moved out of their family homes. You’ll see how the nature of the person’s impairment doesn’t prevent them from living in their own place, and the clever ways support can be put in place to ensure every person with disability can be well-supported to thrive.

Invited speakers

Here are some of the speakers who have already been confirmed.

• Janet Klees (Durham Association for Family Resources and Support) – Preconference event on 29 April 2026 – Focus on home: It is not innovative to want ordinary
• Selina Walker – Welcome to Country
• Robert King – From institutional living to living in community
• Jen Cush (Hunter Circles) – Supporter for community living 
• Sam Paior (The Growing Space) – The ‘drop dead box’ and Specialist Disability Accommodation 
• Lauren Mandel (The LMC Group) – Supporting individual living arrangements
• Nellie Goodwin-Welch (The LMC Group) – Supporting individual living arrangements
• Deb Rouget (Belonging Matters) – Sanctity of home
• Josh Cupri (Milparinka) – Housemates through Individualised Living Options (ILO) funding
• Sherryn West and Marisha Targett – Living alone and succession planning
• Sam Bennett (Grattan Institute) – Better, safer, more sustainable: How to reform NDIS housing and support. 
• Dianne Manderville – Multi-generational living
• Margaret Rogers – Building a culture of renewal

Presentation details and the conference schedule will be available in the coming weeks.

The conference will be held at Hotel Realm in Canberra from Wednesday to Thursday, 20-21 May 2026.

We encourage people with disability, their family and friends, allies and supporters to attend as well as support professionals, planners, TACOs, and anyone wanting to support people with disability to thrive in a place of their own.

Good to know

• There will be plenty of breaks during the conference, giving you time to enjoy the scrumptious food while meeting or reconnecting with others who are imagining home.
• Livestream tickets will be available. Please note that we will only livestream the presentations in the main auditorium, so livestream ticket holders will not be able to watch the concurrent sessions.