There are various types of community, geographical and shared interest to name a few. I would like to share with you five things common to communities: membership or eligibility, values and expectations, affiliation, influence, and participation.

Historically, people who live disabilities have had a very limited experience with community. They were all too often held back and excluded all together from community. They were confined to large, state run institutions. The theory politicians and professionals used was that people with disabilities were fragile and vulnerable and needed to be protected from the harshness of life in the outside world. Ironically, this “sheltering” led to captivity and exposure to all manner of abuses. This “benevolent” paternalism deprived individuals from expressing the basic human characteristic of being social creatures.  We are challenging the myth of the rugged individual arguing we are all interdependent on everyone else.

Political pressures, court actions, and work of parent and self-advocate groups have changed how people with disabilities experience community. People have been moved out of institutions and integrated into the community. Thanks to laws like the ADA, IDEA, Motor Voter Act,  and the Lanterman Act, we have membership and eligibility rights. Values and expectations have changed. We belong in and about town not confined to a bedroom. Our hopes have gained equality and acceptance with others to have opportunity to live to our potential.  This includes getting a free and appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. Increasingly, we are not viewed as victims dealing some medical issues that needs to be fixed. We have dignity and value in our own right and can mutually contribute to and with the rest of society.

We now have the right to affiliate and to have friends and significant, life-long relationships, marry and have a family. We have the right to influence decision making through voting, civic involvement, and political activism. We have the right to participate most notably through employment and be paid for our work.

Another huge aspect of participation is transportation. In a society obsessed with the automobile, effective and efficient mass transit remains a significant issue. We have made little progress on this issue.

By in large, we have made huge progress in the degree and extent that we are fully integrated into our community. As we have become more organized we have become more vocal. This is crucial in this time of economic and fiscal limitations.