Stephen Byrd, associate professor of education and program coordinator for special education, spoke about education, inclusion and lifelong learning opportunities for adults with disabilities at Peacehaven Community Farm on July 19, 2018.
Peacehaven Community Farm’s Summer Series speakers are doers, advocates, and changemakers––committed to fostering a more inclusive world for all.
“Disability Gain” derives from the belief that disability is not a loss, but the gain of something else. Flourishing communities cherish this gain––accepting and celebrating the vital differences inherent within us all, including those with different physical, intellectual, and developmental abilities.
Such communities do not become fully inclusive without intentional efforts to make them so. To create a community of love, we must ask ourselves the questions:
- What does it mean to be a part of a community that values people with and without disabilities?
- What are the ways that our community can promote understanding and empathy?
- What can we learn about creativity, leadership, vulnerability, and shared humanity?
- How can we even begin to understand all we have to gain?
Peacehaven Community Farm is a sustainable farm located on 89 beautiful acres of organic gardens, rolling pastures, and lush woodlands that connects people with special needs to their community. To learn more, visit www.peacehavenfarm.org/.