Community Building

The following global ideas guide the design and delivery of this course:

1. 1.                    The hard work of community building begins by revisioning community as a place where all people are valued and appreciated for their gifts.
2. 2.                    Increasingly, there is an interest in the field of disability support in an alternative way of viewing community and community support.  The new vision is capacity focused, concentrating on the assets of community rather than its lists of needs.  It is believed that practitioners benefit from a critical understanding of community development which focuses on building from the strength and capacity of individuals, families and neighborhoods.  This knowledge provides students with a deeper understanding of community and gives them new tools to facilitate inclusion and identify opportunities for real contribution.
3. The social isolation of people with disabilities is a growing concern amongst advocates and professionals.  The professional world of disability support has moved people out of institutions but now faces the next challenge of facilitating ordinary relationships and friendships within the community.  It appears that a next step might be to better understand some of the inherent structural barriers which exist within our systems of care which might compromise the development of these ordinary relationships and lead to isolation.