For people with developmental disabilities, what does it mean to be a part of one’s community? What does it feel like to be welcomed?

Having moved to a quiet, friendly neighborhood in South Brewer three years ago, I have had the pleasure of having neighbors who share their smiles as we pass on the street, the abundance of their gardens at the end of the summer, and the brute force of their muscles when I needed them.

Are people with developmental disabilities offered the same pleasantries? Duane Hall, the coordinator of community inclusion for OHI, believes that while this same welcome is offered often in certain pockets of the community, there is still a long way to go.

“We’ll have true community inclusion for people with disabilities when the people we [OHI] support no longer need us because their family, neighbors and friends have chosen to take on our role,” Hall said.

OHI currently supports approximately 65 people with developmental disabilities in residential settings in Greater Bangor. Many of those individuals still rely on staff assistance, not only for basic needs such as cooking and grocery shopping, but also for social needs, such as going out for coffee or accompanying them to a movie.

Hall encourages community members to welcome their neighbors with disabilities.

“You can never understand what you can learn from someone with disabilities until you know them,” he said. For one example, Hall says he has learned that winning isn’t everything, but participation is.

“Watch the smiles, and you’ll start to understand,” he said of his experiences coaching OHI’s Special Olympics teams.

Hall offers several suggestions for ways in which community members can welcome people with developmental disabilities. Most importantly, he recommends acknowledging people with disabilities.

Hall said that many well-meaning mothers have taught their children that they shouldn’t stare at people who are different.

He noted, “Most people take this to mean that they shouldn’t make eye contact with people with disabilities – or say hello over the back fence, in the grocery store, or on the street. People with disabilities aren’t invisible. In fact, if we are honest, they are probably more noticeable than you and me. So why don’t we act like we notice?”

For more information about what you might do to support people with developmental disabilities, call Duane Hall, coordinator of community inclusion at OHI, at 848-5804, Ext. 119.

Bev Uhlenhake is director of development at OHI. For information, call 848-5804, Ext. 113.