Wednesday – Thursday, 20-21 May 2026 | Hotel Realm, Canberra
Day 1 – Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Registration
Welcome to country
Selina Walker
Setting the scene
Jan Kruger
King of my castle: Finding home
Jen Cush and Robert King
This presentation will share Rob King’s story of finding his own home after years of living in institutions, and what it means to be king of his own castle; having control over his life, his space, and his future.
Better, safer, more sustainable: Innovative approaches to home and living supports
Sam Bennett
A discussion of current trends in the NDIS home and living supports, including Supported Independent Living (SIL), Individualised Living Options (ILO), and Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
Morning tea
Nurturing the sanctity of home and building belonging
Deb Rouget
For far too many people with disability, “home” has historically been a service island: A place where things are done to, at, or for them. If we aren’t mindful, any support arrangement has the power to extinguish the sanctity of home and stifle a person’s potential.
More than flatmates: Creating a good life through independence, relationships, and change
Emma Brodie, Rhiannon Brodie, and Rose Tilbury
In this conversation, Emma, Rhiannon and Rose will share their experience of living together as flatmates: What worked, what they learned, and how their relationships evolved over time.
Lunch
Creating ‘Home Sweet Home’
Lauren Mandel and Nellie Goodwin-Welch
There’s no one way to support a person with disability to create a home of their own. Through sharing stories and practical strategies, we hope to offer insights that leave you with plenty of ideas.
Keys to my good life
Annie Lee and Kathryn Lee
Annie and her mother, Kathryn, will give you a glimpse of Annie’s week and talk about her transition out of home and how, with her part-time work, advocacy work, fitness, and friends, Annie fills her week with meaningful activities.
Afternoon tea
Creating home through host arrangements
Leanne Pearman
This presentation explores host arrangements as a way of supporting people with disability to live ordinary, connected lives in community. You’ll see the different ways host arrangements can work, including living with families or individuals, and how these relationships grow over time.
Finding home (and the right person to share it with)
Josh Crupi
When people come together and think about the culture, lifestyles and values they share – moving away from focusing on just disability – real magic can happen. This session is about finding housemates that make sense.
Creating a home with housemates: From set up to support
Jan Kruger
Jan will discuss how some families have approached finding flatmates and effectively utilised their family members’ NDIS funding to help them move into their own homes with a flatmate.
SDA for rookies: Unravelling the options
Sam Paior and Ben Paior-Smith
Ben will explain how he met his housemates (online!), how he was involved in designing the build, and what good support actually looks like, day to day. Then Sam, Ben’s mum, will walk through the practical side: the eligibility requirements in plain English, what goes in an NDIS plan, when a granny flat is possible, what to do when the answer is “no,” and how to assemble the team you’ll need.
Building a culture of renewal
Margaret Rodgers
This presentation will explore the benefits of renewal so that we, and the arrangements we put in place for the people we care about, remain fresh and relevant over time.
Day 1 wrap-up
Jan Kruger
Day 2 – Thursday, 21 May 2026
Registration
Welcome to Day 2
Jan Kruger
Robbie’s housing journey
Dianne Mandeville
Dianne will share an overview of her family’s housing journey over the past 20 years as they worked to secure a suitable home for her son, Robbie, who is now 39.
Beyond the parents: Safeguarding home and the sibling relationship
Sherryn West and Marisha Targett
Sisters Sherryn West and Marisha Targett explore what happens when the role of a parent changes, and siblings begin to step forward, often bringing both responsibility and an unravelling of what was. It considers how to navigate that shift while trying to remain “just a sister,” and the importance of thinking ahead about who comes next, so as not to create another unravelling.
Morning tea
Using Podio to support a good life
Sheree Henley
This session will share how tools like Podio can support clear communication, accountability, and consistent, high-quality support when a person lives in their own home.
Unlocking the potential of NDIS management with Ability8
Mark Condon
Mark will discuss how his experience as a father of a child with disability inspired the creation of Ability8, a user-friendly app that helps manage NDIS plans. It allows users to track NDIS finances, staff hours, invoices, and essential care documents in one secure place.
Question time with Services Australia (DSP and Rent assistance)
Emily and Sameer
Bring your questions about the DSP (Disability Support Pension) and Rent Assistance to be answered by Services Australia representatives.
Building connections one step at a time
Jen Cush
This session is about taking one step at a time to build community connections. As Michael Kendrick says, “The gathering of a few is always begun by the actions of one.”
Supporting decision-making at home
Michelle Browning
We all make decisions every day. When we support others, we can open or close opportunities for decision-making, depending on how we provide support.
Drop Dead Box: Because, one day, you won’t be here to run it all
Sam Paior
You can’t run everything forever – and most parents of someone with disability already know it. More than 80% of us lie awake worrying about who will speak up for the person we love when we can’t. This session won’t make the worry go away, but it will give you somewhere concrete to put it.
Dying, death, and funerals: An opportunity for meaning and connection
Catherine Prosser
Nobody wants to talk about them, but everybody needs to deal with them. But when we empower ourselves with the knowledge of what we can ask for, what we can say ‘Yes’ to and what we can say ‘No’ to, we open ourselves up to the opportunity of a truly meaningful experience.
Lunch
Join our World Café, an opportunity to generate ideas, share tips, and learn from everyone in the room. During this interactive session, you’ll be invited to consider some questions or scenarios and share your insights (through conversation, pictures, post-it notes: whatever works best for you!). You’ll begin at one table: When the bell rings, each person will move to a different table to ponder a different question.
Home: It’s a journey, not a destination
Jan Kruger, Lauren Mandel, Dianne Mandeville, Bec Feldman
A panel-based conversation about the journey towards home.
Afternoon tea
It takes a village: Discovering inclusion close to home
Cormac Russell
Cormac Russell is well known for his work building communities around the world. In this presentation, he will use storytelling and practical techniques to describe ways we can connect with our neighbours.
Conference close
Jan Kruger