John O'Brien believes self-determination and individual funding offer the opportunity to improve the lives of people with disability. For this to take place, people with disability and their families need to engage the community. In this article O'Brien proposes strategies of political action and involvement in the process of culture change through community engagement. O'Brien outlines five trends that influence these strategies. He stresses the importance of committed people building up relationships and of influencing political action. He also offers a range of actions that could be taken. This article is an abridged version of a paper presented by John O'Brien at a meeting of the Community Engagement Working Group held in Pickering, Ontario on 25th March, 1999 . Keywords: Community Development, Advocacy