We must know by now that no disability precludes citizenship.

Full citizenship entails rights and duties; this can be made real by ensuring that all citizens have access to education, work, technology, health care and protection under law.

Only then will we experience the true sense of belonging that is achieved through inclusion.We talk of developing the community's capacity to meet the needs of marginalized people. Too often, we put that in the hands of government to fund services to create increased community engagement.

Maybe as we ponder people with developmental disabilities seeking their rightful place in our community we should also study the rightful place of community and services in the lives of people with disabilities.

To qualify for services clients must have deficits and then that becomes the focal point of services. Services can become a revolving door or end up engulfing the client buffering them from the natural community creating a dependency on services both on the part of the individual and the community..... to the detriment of both.

We have for too long focused on the deficits of people with disabilities. It is necessary that we focus on the abilities or gifts of the person and the abilities and gifts of our communities. John McKnight is a leading light in understanding the nature of community.

He talks about focusing on gifts and says that in the world of community and volunteerism deficiencies have no market value.

He also talks about Associational Life......

John sees systems as an organized group of funded, well resourced professionals who operate in the domain of cases, clients and services.

Talk to any poor or vulnerable person and they can give you a long list of services they have received but what in their life has fundamentally changed? McKnight describes associations that are groups of people that come together to do some good. These are the welcoming places for all citizens to offer their gifts and abilities.

The Third point John makes is having the faith in citizens to identify and solve problems.

To summarize McKnight. Sustainable transformation is constructed in those places where citizens choose to come together to produce a desired future.

When talking about opportunities for community building I am reminded of the old saying: Pessimists see the glass as half empty, Optimists see the glass as half full Community builder see the potential within the glass. People with disabilities and their families never know how they will be received by the community. Whether they will be seen as having deficits or gifts. We, as a Community, need to continue to eliminate physical and social obstacles that prevent equity, diversity, and quality of life. Working together to create change and build capacity so that all people, no matter their perceived level of ability, are included in all aspects of society.

Welcoming Inclusive communities enables positive peer relationships between people creating the opportunity for future relationships as adults.Inclusion really starts with valuing people for what they do well and their potential to contribute.

Inclusion can't be conditional or token or have some prerequisite attached. When people are engaged in an activity or role that they want to be engaged in, it is very likely that they will do it well and make a positive contribution.

What makes community building so complex is that it is an infinite number of small steps. It is up to each of us in community to be some of those steps.

WE WILL ALL BE RICHER FOR IT.