L'Arche-An Interesting concept in community

So we're on vacation (holiday) this week, and today found us driving from Limon, Colorado to Durango, Colorado. Much of the trip is a rising and falling two lane highway thru the high plains of rural Colorado. As the road rose and fell, it became difficult to receive any radio stations for more than 5-7 miles. I cycled the car radio from Jimmy Buffet to Spanish folk songs to preachers to (I kid you not) Spanish rap music (I was heretofore unaware of the genre).

Finally we reached a place where there was only one public radio station that had any reception. Fortunately, we were able to receive this station for about an hour. The show "Speaking of Faith" was on, which is often fairly interesting, as it has in depth discussions of a wide variety of topics of both general and religious interest. Today the show was a look at a L'Arche community in Clinton, Iowa.

I had never heard of L'Arche before today. After hearing of it today, I must admit it sounds intriguing. I have an instant and intense revulsion to anything that smacks of institutionalizing individuals. And even "group homes" have a somewhat patronizing feel to me. But in listening to the discussion today, I have to admit that at least the people interviewed at L'Arche are talking the talk, and may be walking the walk as well.

The L'Arche movement was started by philosopher Jean Vanier in 1964, when Vanier invited two men with mental handicaps to live with him in a home in Trosly-Breuil, France. From this humble beginning, the movement has spread to include 120 communities worldwide, with 16 being located in the US.

The members of each community that have mental handicaps are referred to as "core members", while those that live with them are referred to simply as "assistants". Some communities are based in Catholicism (as the original community was), some are Christian of mixed denomination, and others are multi-religious. The communities are based on four principles:

The recognition of the unique value of persons with a developmental disability to reveal that human suffering and joy can lead to growth, healing and unity. When their gift is received, individual, social and ecclesial change occurs;

Life sharing where persons with a mental disability and those who assist them live, work and pray together, creating a home;

Relationships of mutuality in which people give and receive love;

Christian community that welcomes people from all faiths, based on the Gospel and dependent upon the Spirit of God where faithful relationships, forgiveness and celebration reveal God's personal presence and love.

The website and the above principles don't do justice to what I listened to. The people that were interviewed that were assistants at the Iowa L'Arche community provided many examples of how the people that they lived and worked with became their friends and of how they recognized that their communities were not a solution for society, but rather a signal to society that they needed to find a way to respect all of those in our midst and find ways to integrate them into society.

Some also reflected on how all of us in society are handicapped in some way, and of how we need to value each and every person in society, and recognize what they can contribute. Of perhaps greater import, the people interviewed recognized that not everything was worked out in their communities, problems existed, and that everyone in the community needed to work together to solve them.

The program is available for listening or downloading online here. Krista Tippet, the radio journalist, really did an excellent job with this. Her treatment is far superior to what I write here today.

Although I hope and expect that my son will be able to live either independently or semi-independently, it is possible that this will not be feasible. If he were to choose to live in some type of communal arrangement, I can think of far worse places than a L'Arche community for him to live in.

Small Victories

I've written before about "Little Hurts". Well today I get to report on the other side of the coin, the small victories.

I work in a department of about 100 people. Our offices are in several different buildings spread over 4 or 5 city blocks. About two years ago or so, our department was approached by a local agency that helps support disabled people in finding (and keeping) jobs. Up until this time each individual section tasked someone to interface with the campus mail system. When this agency approached our office manager to inquire whether we could use anyone, she decided that she could free up secretarial time (which we needed to do) and create an internal mail distribution person for our department.

Susan (our office manager) doesn't have kids of her own. She is a perfect employee, always knowing exactly how to get things done, never complaining, and being very efficient in getting the best out of others. Some of the secretaries think she expects too much, but I've always thought she did a great job.

Susan hired Michael thru this agency. He is paid a normal salary for this position. And he is quite obviously autistic. His gait is a little off, he rarely makes eye contact, and he doesn't say much. Michael is about 18-20 years old, and lives with his parents. The agency supported Michael by sending a "coach" with him for the first few weeks who worked very closely with Susan and Michael to get him trained. Now the coach comes periodically to check on him, and more often if there are particular problems that we need him to help us with.

I've seen Susan reading things about autism on the web, so as to try and understand how best to work with Michael. She has been as instrumental in Michael being successful in his position as the agency that placed him.

Now for the really good part...

I was walking thru the department today, and I look up at the wall where there is a framed certificate on the wall announcing the "Employee of the Quarter".

MICHAEL IS THE EMPLOYEE OF THE QUARTER!!!!

I was so happy I almost cried. The employee of the quarter doesn't get much. You get the certificate, bragging rights, and I think you get a small token gift. The award is voted on by all the members of the department every quarter.

So it isn't that it's such a big thing. But to me it's HUGE. A young adult autistic who just as easily could have been cast aside is not just "tolerated" by the people in our department. He has been accepted. And supported. And I just had to share that.

Joe is 209