Pathfinders: Making a Way from Segregation to Community Life

This paper describes the Pathfinders program in New York (New York), which works to facilitate the full integration of adults with developmental disabilities into workplaces and neighborhoods. The paper is organized around the question of whether students graduating from special education can find paid and volunteer work in community settings, become involved in social and recreational activities in their neighborhoods, and develop new friendships and associations in these settings. Discussion focuses on the concept of "capacity thinking," which stresses five ideas: (1) building a capacity view of the individual; (2) challenging deficiency thinking; (3) discovering opportunities; (4) increasing expectations; and (5) advocating for necessary resources and services. Other principles include person-centered work and development projects, making space to work outside the current system of special education and adult services, investing in renewal, forum creation, and person-centered planning. Excerpts from participants' comments on their experiences illustrate the paper's ideas. (Contains 14 references.) (DB)