Participate in Your Community

Participating in our communities is a blast! Grocery shopping, going out to eat, going to a movie, working, volunteering, going to church, joining a club, hanging out with friends, and working out at the gym are few examples of everyday community activities.

At the core of true community participation is the belief that each person has value and has gifts and abililities that they can share with others and contribute back to their communities. And we all have needs. Let’s face it; we are all interdependent - sometimes needing support from others and other times supporting others.

Community participation is also about having relationships. Jim Wolf, a community leader in Socorro, reflects, “Quality of life is about relationships. Whether you have a perfect body or imperfect body, whether you are broke or have the world at your fingertips, if you don’t have satisfactory relationships, you are in need.”

Choice is an important aspect of community participation. People should be able to choose how they participate in their communities. Each person has dreams and aspirations. Community participation is about having opportunities to pursue dreams, meet new people, try new things, make mistakes, learn and try again.

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Community MAP Project

The Community MAP (Means All People) was a project to empower people with disabilities to participate in recreational activities of their choice within their own communities. Local coalitions formed by people with disabilities, their family members, and non-disability-specific organizations help make this possible by helping the person identify and gain access to the activities within that community.

PATH: Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope

PATH (Planning Alternative Tomorrows with Hope) is one of many futures planning tools that can help individuals with disabilities and their families move into a more positive and possible future. It is a creative and visual process that is daring, bold and action oriented. It is not linear, straight, or black and white but is full of color and graphics.

John O’ Brien, Marsha Forrest and Jack Pierpoint of Inclusion Press in Canada developed PATH. It has been used with people from ages 3-93. Children, families, organizations, education systems, recreation organizations, and advocacy group have participated in the process. PATH values include respect for the person, community inclusion, and diversity.

Beyond Worship

Beyond Worship was a project funded by the New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Planning Council. The purpose of the project was to help build inclusive faith communities of choice for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

Discussion Forums

Discussion forums are an opportunity for people to share their perspectives and experiences on a variety of topics. The forums are one way for members of a community to discuss and share ideas and to learn from one another.