Private Event: Community Conversations

Community Conversations: Creating New Pathways and Partnerships for People With Disabilities in the Northland

Please join us on September 12th, 6pm to 8pm at the Duluth Folk School, as our community gathers to share stories, discuss possible strategies and barriers, and ultimately, to build a sustainable coalition of care for our neighbors with disabilities. We will be hosting the heralded film, “Of the Community.” That will be followed by a roundtable discussion with several people with disabilities and their community relationships, sharing their successful journeys.

How do we define community? For many of us, it is a sense of belonging and purpose. Community is about identity, history, culture, and geography. But it’s also deeper than that. Whether it’s in celebration or tragedy, community has the power to galvanize individuals, provide support, and make positive changes. For people with disabilities, there is often a critical boundary between what are defined as paid services and the natural supports that are the benefits of community.

Our disconnected nation. We are a society that enjoys the many benefits of connection, through our digital devices. However, we as a society, have never been more lonely. Current research shows that our most current Generation Z, ages 18-22, is the loneliest generation on record. Chronic loneliness can lead to more pronounced isolation, and ultimately, to depression. For people with disabilities, it is more pronounced. Nearly 85 percent of people with disabilities reports they are lonely everyday (What Isn’t being said about Loneliness and Disability 29 Jan 2018 Andrew Shipley)

The Power of Relationship: We, as human beings, are built for love and inclusion. Most people have between 5-8 friendships that are important to them. Most people with disabilities enjoy far less meaningful relationships, and many of their friendships are through paid supports. Finally, we as a society are beginning to embrace the value of human interaction and friendship as a pathway to increasing mental health.