The Community Resource Unit Ltd.

At the Community Resource Unit (CRU) it is our mission to inspire, challenge and equip people to embrace ideas and take action so that people living with disability are active contributors to social and economic life. Together with people living with disability, their families, allies in the human services sector and the community we build a movement for change.

Purpose

CRU exists to create and promote positive change so that people with disabilities can belong to and participate in community life.

Our mission is to:

  • Inspire and encourage individuals and organisations to challenge ideas and practices that limit the lives of people with a disability
  • Influence and equip others to lead positive change

CRU believes

  • That people with disabilities should belong to and participate in community life

This means their interests are best served when they are supported to grow up in a family, go to school at their local neighbourhood school, participate in community activities with their peers, have a home of their own, maintain strong relationships with friends, parents and siblings, work and participate in community life and have their rights as citizens protected.

  • That people with disabilities are highly vulnerable to being excluded from ordinary community life.

This happens through segregated experiences, which deprive them of opportunities to have the rich range of relationships and experiences that most people take for granted. Achieving these positive life conditions for people with disabilities will always constitute a call for reform and CRU has had considerable involvement in such reform activities over many years.

  • We can and should do better. We need focussed and informed effort from across our community to challenge this and create a sustainable movement for positive change.

It is essential that people with disabilities, their families, friends and allies, service workers, board members and government officials be informed about the risks and possibilities, and orient their energies and resources to safeguard them against rejection and exclusion and make it possible for people with disabilities to truly participate in community life.As much as possible, CRU believes that people with disabilities should be allowed to make decisions for themselves or to be supported by their family and close friends to make decisions about their lives when they need this support.

Our values

Inclusion

We believe people living with disability should be supported as active and valued contributors to family, community and economic life, which benefits the entire community.

Diversity

We celebrate that people have equal worth and each person has different abilities, preferences and aspirations.

Relationships

We believe we are not isolated individuals and we are better together.

 

Courage

We hold to what is best and support others to do so, even when that is not popular.

Imagination

We encourage people to dream of what could be, not be limited by what is.

Wisdom

We know that solutions to issues for people living with disability are not simple and require careful thought, research and action.

Choice

We nurture and encourage practices which enable people living with disability to discern genuine, valued options and support them to make informed decisions.

CRU engages with people on questions of values and vision; it provides inspiration and analysis and assists people to shape and deliver helpful, relevant and responsive human services and support arrangements.

The members of CRU include people with disabilities, families and workers from the disability sector. We want to create a space where everyone is welcome so we can start conversations and combine our efforts in pursuit of better lives for people with disability.

Based in Brisbane, Queensland with state-wide responsibilities, CRU draws on our national and international networks. The direction and management of Community Resource Unit Ltd. is vested in the Board of Directors that is elected annually. The implementation of CRU programs is the responsibility of the CEO and the staff team.

CRU was developed to support grassroots change in Queensland. Its origins lie in a 1987 initiative of Queensland families, professionals and people with disabilities who recognised that legislative change was insufficient to support authentic change for people with disabilities and their families. Read more in our History page.

CRU is a Company Limited by Guarantee (Ltd) not for profit organisation and exists to create authentic change that favours people with disabilities. It supports innovation and leadership whilst developing safeguards that protect and enhance possibilities for people with disability.

For further information contact any of the CRU staff.