PREFACE

This packet (originally published in 1988 as "Materials on Relationships") was revised in response to continued requests for information on how to develop and support a variety of personal relationships between people with and without disabilities. This area has been receiving a lot of attention, and a variety of programmatic efforts to build bridges between individuals who are clients in the human service world and nondisabled citizens are underway across the country.

Part I consists of four articles which focus on the experiences of people with disabilities in terms of their personal relationships and belonging to a social network. Researchers at the Center on Human Policy are finding that many individuals with disabilities do not belong to extensive networks of people with whom they share affection and support. Many of the individuals suggested to us as being well connected have in fact, only one, two or three friends. The primary source of possible connections for many individuals with developmental disabilities remain their families, staff and the other people who are in the same programs and services.

The overview article, "Reflections on Relationships Between People With and Without Disabilities" (first published in 1988), describes some of the factors that influence the possibility of relationships between people with and without developmental disabilities. Largely due to their experiences in the human service system, individuals with disabilities often have fewer opportunities to meet others in ways conducive to the formation of friendships and other personal relationships.

The second article, "Affectionate Bonds: What We Can Learn by Listening to Friends," was excerpted from a larger monograph, and published in the TASH newsletter (January 1990). This article describes the meanings of four pairs of friends Within these personal relationships between individuals with and without disabilities, the nondisabled people have facilitated the involvement of their friends into a number of activities with others.

The third article, "Tony Santi and the Bakery: The Roles of Facilitation, Accommodation, and Interpretation," describes one man's social network, and the efforts of some individuals to insure his continued involvement and participation.

"Members of Each Other: Perspectives on Social Support for People with Severe Disabilities," examines the meaning of membership in a community, and ways that such membership can be established for individuals with severe disabilities. However, this article is not included here. Please contact The Center on Human Policy for a copy of this article.

In Part II, an annotated bibliography on personal relationships and social networks in included.

Preparation of this packet was supported in part through a subcontract to the Center on Human Policy, Division of Special Education and Rehabilitation, School of Education, Syracuse University, from the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota under Cooperative Agreement No. H133B80048, and a contract awarded to the Center on Human Policy, Division of Special Education and Rehabilitation, School of Education, Syracuse University under Cooperative Agreement H133B00003-90, both funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. The opinions expressed herein are solely those of the authors and no official endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education should be inferred.

I'd like to thank Rachael Zubal and Bonnie Shoultz for their encouragement and assistance in preparing this packet.