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Pathways for Inclusive Connection Project
Fostering Social Health for CT Adults with Developmental Disabilities
Data suggests that individuals with developmental disabilities are 1.5 to 2X more likely to experience loneliness compared to their peers without disabilities. And only 16% of adults with developmental disabilities are employed.
We understand that real change happens only when we center community voices and listen to what community members say they need.
This project is dedicated to empowering adults with developmental disabilities to foster meaningful social connections. And so, to start, we will listen to what they have to say.
The initiative will begin with a series of 6 listening sessions in the spring of 2025 to explore the power of friendship for adults with developmental disabilities and identify the barriers that stand in the way of positive social connection.
Following these sessions, we will utilize what we heard to create educational action guides to improve social health.
Listening Sessions
We want to hear directly from people with developmental disabilities, their families/caregivers, and support professionals about their ability to develop and sustain friendships and barriers to social connection.
Details of these listening sessions are coming soon.
We anticipate hosting these sessions with homogenous groups as follows (calendar tentative at this time):
- April 14 (3:30-5 pm): Self-advocate in-person session at Favarh cafe, Canton
- April 22 (6:30-7:30 pm): Self-advocate Zoom session
- May 14 (noon-1 pm): Support professional Zoom session
- May 22 (6-7:30 pm): Self-advocate in-person session during Friendship Community at Valley Community Baptist Church, Avon
- June 2 (6:30-7:30 pm): Family/Caregiver Zoom session
- June 9 (6:30-7:30 pm): Self-advocate Zoom session
Action Guides
Following the listening sessions, we will publish a series of action guides with ideas, recommendations, and strategies for improving a person's involvement with their friends, neighbors, and community, including identification of barriers to social connectivity that may require policy changes and actionable steps to improve social health for self-advocates and their caregivers.
Pathways for Inclusive Connection
