The Community Imperative
“All people have fundamental moral and constitutional rights.”In 1979, the Center on Human Policy, under the leadership of Burton Blatt, issued The Community Imperative, a declaration supporting the right of all people with disabilities to community living. The Community Imperative was written to counter opposition to deinstitutionalization and community inclusion by well-organized groups. Today, years later, inclusion remains controversial in some states and localities. At the same time, many people with disabilities are not receiving the supports they need to live successfully in the community.
This video is a documentary of a conference held in Oakland, California in 2002 to revisit the values underlying The Community Imperative, and now is available online for free.
Watch The Community Imperative
This version of “The Community Imperative” is 42 minutes and is oriented toward a national audience.
It features segments of presentations by and interviews with:
- Ben Adams
- Dion Aroner
- Art Bolton
- David Braddock
- Hank Bersani
- Ben Boisot
- Michelle Boisot
- Terry Boisot
- Mary Cerreto
- Bill Coffelt
- June Downing
- Steve Eidelman
- Mary Falvey
- Thomas Gilhool
- Ellen Goldblatt
- Ed Goldman
- Richard Jacobs
- Deborah Kaplan
- Randy Kitch
- Scott Klassen
- Charlie Lakin
- Patricia Mejia
- Hector Mendez
- David Miller
- Pat Napoliello
- Tom Neary
- John O’Brien
- Kim Olson
- Mark Polit
- Prema Polit
- Santi Rogers
- Ruth Shelton
- Bonnie Shoultz
- Patty McGill Smith
- Jeff Strully
- Steve Taylor
- Cheryl Marie Wade
- Scott Wildman
It also includes clips of historical leaders Burton Blatt, Gunnar Dybwad, and Ed Roberts. Narrated by Martin Sheen, the video recounts the history of disability rights and describes the challenges to community inclusion today.