Creating Community Anywhere: Finding Support and Connection in a Fragmented World

John McKnight, from the Center for Urban Studies at Northwestern University, has alerted people in the field of special education and rehabilitation to the importance of community-building activities. Much of our efforts at supporting people with mental retardation is to assist them to enter several communities whose members are diverse. It is not enough to merely acknowledge the existence of these communities. We must investigate the relationships among people in areas of decision making, communication, interdependence, life enrichment, and diversity. The book contains a rich source of information in this targeted focus area. Well-researched and presented, in their book the authors provide basic information about how successful communities develop, thrive, and enrich the lives of its members. One of the chief aims of the work to which each of us commits our energy is to enhance the quality of life for the people we support. In the context of this issue's topic, life enrichment occurs in a community as defined for or by individuals with mental retardation. This publication contains an indepth review of the defining characteristics that shape one's community and how we each become active participants in sharing the gifts of what community members have to offer. Those of us who support people to work, recreate, and reside in the context of a community need to understand the dynamics of how communities begin, mature, and sometimes end. Shaffer and Anundsen draw. on a full range of experiences and share their expertise about the influences that define "community building" for us all. General Highlights • The content of this book is not specific to any single category of (dis)abilities. Instead, experiences are drawn from such diverse contexts as the formation of support groups around a current challenge, co-housing options, residences that include elderly individuals, subsidized housing in urban settings, and general family dynamics. • Chapters contain quotes from visionary sources and are located in the outside columns. These quotes relate directly to the adjacent content. • The resources included at the end of each chapter sample a full range of additional readings, from newspaper references to scholarly writings. • The four specific parts of the book include headings of: