Integration by Paul Mansell
Community is crucial to healthy mental wellbeing. For the tree of community to bear full fruit it needs full and complete integration of all its members. Integration is the full and complete welcoming of an individual, the granting of full rights and privileges of membership, accessing community resources, and the offering of full opportunities to participate in the life of the community. I stress full, not some limited form of membership as if we were still children.
Membership in a community is such a rich, rewarding, and satisfying experience that it is unconscionable to somehow limit the experience out of fear, judgmental sensibilities, history and tradition, or prejudices. Remember a community is richest when all of its members participate fully in the life of the community. Each member brings unique, talents to offer the community that should be celebrated, and thereby let the community to flourish regardless of race or culture, gender, education, sexual orientation, income, or social status, age, or ability.
To look further on integration we need to say a few words more on community. Communities are more than a geographic location, such as mid-city San Diego. It is an association of people with common interests, views, language, culture, achievement, status, vocations, and hobbies. As such, communities are places of employment, residence, schools, civic or service groups, special interest groups, and places of worship.
For persons with developmental disabilities, we have specific employment integration needs. We need to have the choice to work with our non-disabled peers and colleagues serving both the disabled and non-disabled public. This enriches the quality of our work experience and maximizes our opportunities for advancement to fulfill our career potential.
Similarly, for persons with developmental disabilities, we have concrete residential and living needs. We need to have the choice to reside in settings with either persons with or without disabilities to the full extent of our abilities, skills, safety needs, and resources. We need to be able to access residential options. This allows us to have full diversity in our residential experience.
School is very much a social experience. Students with developmental disabilities need to learn in free and least restrictive settings with their non-disabled classmates. This allows everyone to learn and build on their strengths and individuality.
Civic or service groups or special interest groups allows persons with developmental disabilities to give back to their communities and show to everyone that they are not just takes from society. Here again integration into the groups as members in full standing allows them to contribute to groups to the full extent they are able to. Places of worship offer persons with developmental disabilities the opportunity to express themselves spiritually, participate in worship rites, educational and social events, and experiences, and access the spiritual opportunities and resources offered to all other members.
Integration and Communities are dance partners complementing the strengths of both. It is through communities that people realize the richness of the human experience, and it is through integration that people experience communities in full. With integration diversity and inclusion is welcomed and communities are able to bloom like a rose.