What Do Inclusion and HomeBeing Have in Common?

What is the difference between advocating for inclusion, rights and opportunities to participate in society, on the one hand, and the philosophy of HomeBeing on the other?

At their core, perhaps there is no difference.

Perhaps these are two ways of saying the same thing: our surroundings need to accommodate people’s diverse needs. We should all be able to belong to our communities and participate in them, regardless of the characteristics or circumstances that become grounds for marginalisation and exclusion.

We often speak about exclusion as though the problem resides within the individual. A person does not fit in because of disability, age, origin, sexual orientation, neurodivergence or some other characteristic.

But what happens if we examine the environment instead?

The buildings, systems, customs and unwritten rules of society all rest on assumptions about what people are like. Who can climb stairs. Who can read complex information. Who can communicate in a particular way. Who can tolerate noise, speed and sensory stimulation. Who has the time, energy, money and support required to participate.

When these assumptions are too narrow, human diversity becomes a “problem”. But diversity is not the problem. The problem is an environment designed with only some of us in mind.

This is where inclusion and HomeBeing meet.

HomeBeing begins with the understanding that the environment is not a neutral stage set. It participates in shaping our lives, wellbeing, opportunities, possibilities and behaviour. A space can welcome us or push us away. A system can enable participation or make it almost impossible. A society can expect human diversity or demand that people adapt themselves to narrow norms.

Inclusion requires more than allowing more people into society as it currently exists. It asks us to consider whether society itself needs to change, and how.

We commonly associate sustainability with nature. We talk about living within the limits of the Earth, protecting ecosystems and cultivating a different relationship with the living world. That is an essential part of sustainability.

But sustainability also has a social foundation.

A society cannot be considered sustainable if it excludes some of the people who belong to it. Social sustainability includes rights, security, inclusion and genuine opportunities to participate. It requires us to create environments, institutions and social systems that recognise human diversity.

Living in harmony with nature and building a society where everyone belongs are connected tasks. Both ask us to recognise relationships, interdependence and the diversity of life.

Perhaps the heart of it is this: our task is to change society so that it makes room for all of us, rather than making everyone fit into it.