Combating Social Isolation: The Idea of a Right to Belong – A Celebration of The Publication of On Belonging By Kim Samuel

In her recently published book, On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation, Kim Samuel, founder of the Samuel Centre for Cocial Connectedness, explores the efforts of trailblazing individuals and organizations working across disciplines and continents to combat the barriers to fully and effectively participating in society faced by persons with disabilities, older persons, and many other historically marginalized groups. Samuel also puts forth a challenge to think about what a “right to belong,” reminiscent of Jacobus tenBroek’s conception of the “right to live in the world” and participatory justice for persons with disabilities, might mean in practice for these diverse communities. At this event, members of and advocates for several of these intersectional groups, including persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities, and older persons, will reflect on what belonging and social connectedness mean for the diverse communities they represent.