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Community Corner

For young people with special needs, enAble of Georgia offers a social community to "practice" making friends.

By Amy Vergith

It’s holiday party time. That means you will get used to standing next to an acquaintance at the hors d'oeuvre table, or a stranger in line at the bar. To pass the time, you may begin to make small talk. Then, you may smile as you go along your way.

This is a simple encounter, one that occurs all the time, especially during this time of year. But to many people with special needs, a social situation such as this is a serious challenge.

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In my more than five years at enAble of Georgia, an organization that supports people with developmental disabilities, I see this population struggle every day with what we take for granted: making friends. At the Life Skills class we offer through our day program, we start from the beginning, helping the individuals we serve understand the basic “How are you?” and “My name is.” Bit by bit, in small “doses,” we nudge them toward developing these crucial connections.

Recently, enAble of Georgia started Saturday Night Lights, a program where young adults ages 14-22 with developmental disabilities can practice social skills. The premise is to create a community while facilitating those social interactions in a controlled, supported setting. At Saturday Night Lights, participants play games, have dance parties, do crafts and just enjoy each other’s company, all with professionals who understand their challenges and support them on their individual journeys. It is gratifying to see some of these people come out of their shells while they “practice” what they are learning, and we at enAble recognize the precious role we have in building their confidence, one new friend at a time.

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Many of the people served by enAble will not ever be able to smoothly engage in small talk, at a festive occasion or otherwise. But they can be proud of their accomplishments nonetheless. At enAble, we are always looking at their possibilities, not their disabilities.

Amy Vergith is the Support Manager of Day and Employment Services (Roswell) at enAble of Georgia (www.enablega.org).



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