I've blogged about this a few times before, and it's still a burning desire. I want a commune!
There are a few lovely options for people with intellectual disabilities who are ready to move out and on with life. Noah's Ark in central Florida is one. They have an entire village that they compare to Mayberry of Andy Griffith fame. There are also the L'Arche communities sprinkled across the U.S. and world. There's Camphill, a living arrangement inspired by Waldorf Education and Rufolf Steiner. All of these are either for adults leaving home, or children living away from their parents.
My vision is a little different. I'd like to create a place where a few families can live out their days together with support, love and joy. I see my son at the center of it all, with perhaps one or two other families who have a child with disabilities also as a focal point. The remaining community would consist of people who choose to live a communal life. We would have similar values and a common purpose.
I've started researching the possibilities. I found people in my state who explored the option of creating a Camphill School in Florida, and learned of the specific roadblocks to founding new forms of living that are considered "separate". Be assured that there is a lot of bureaucratic rules that make it anything but simple if you want help from the state waiver.
If we're not building an assisted living arrangement, then we must still fall under the home and community umbrella of services. If two or three families choose to live together and invite others to share life with them, some of the red tape might be eliminated. I am still investigating and determining what the rules and regulations are.
The next step would be finding each other. I need people who are ready to live a life of unity where more than just one mother and dad are in charge. My happiest days of my life were spent when my parents and even my former husband's parents were involved in our daily lives (the latter had some inherent problems to deal with, but that's life). My mom is gone now. My dad is nearing 80, and he's moved on with his life. My father-in-law died a few months after my mother did, and the rest of the family is 990 miles away.
I don't want to just live next door or around the corner, I want to be committed and connected at a deep level and on the same plot of land. Houses could be separate, or perhaps one huge ranch. I'm giving this a lot of mental energy and prayer.
Sometimes I feel like it's just a dream. I'll flash on the fear that I'm envisioning a Utopia that cannot be. Most of the time, though, I'm serious about finding a way to make this happen. I want to take the best that L'Arche, Camphill and Noah's Ark have to offer and build a little community of my own. For Daniel. For myself. For anyone else who feels this burning in their heart to belong and to be supported.
Stay tuned.
