Creating Communities Where Everyone is Welcome: Julia’s Community

Julia’s Community is named in honor of Julia Spence.

Julia’s Community is a transformative comprehensive concept for the approximately 12 million people in the United States with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD). Individuals with an I/DD are usually diagnosed at birth, and the resulting challenges affect physical, intellectual, and emotional development. The families and caregivers of children with I/DD seek out social and educational options, but for dependent adults (age 21+), the options for living, learning, and working are limited. Julia’s Community embraces college campuses with a 360-degree model that would support and enhance multiple functions and developments, each providing meaning to persons with I/DD and their families.

• Preschool – the inclusive preschool serves all children, with or without disabilities, in an environment that allows them to thrive. 
• Adult Day Programs provide structured activities for recent high school graduates and adults of all ages with skill-building and life enrichment so that all can enjoy an active and fulfilling life. 
• Residential – Julia’s Friendship House allows adults with I/DD to live interdependently in a community that houses both able and disabled residents. This affordable housing model creates a family environment. 
• Postsecondary Education – High-functioning persons with I/DD thrive with a meaningful academic experience that offers educational development and life skills with on-campus living, learning, and working. 
• Employment – because work is critical to self-determination, self-worth, and autonomy, Julia’s Community will include work opportunities on campus.

Julia’s Community is partnering with Wingate University outside of Charlotte to create an on-campus program for all ages with I/DD. The idea to embed the I/DD community into a campus was inspired after Bob went to Durham to visit a Friendship House. “There are two houses in a residential area where graduate students in Duke Divinity School live with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Bob explains. “These people can live mostly independently but need a little help. It’s a win for the college students because they have less expensive housing and it’s a win for the people with I/DD because they get to live independently with friends. I walked away that day thinking, if students can live in off-campus housing and make a difference for those with I/DD, what is the potential if we bring services to an on-campus environment?” 

That visit to Durham sparked Bob’s desire to investigate collaborations with universities. “A college campus is like a micro-city with housing, restaurants, entertainment, and open spaces. It’s the perfect environment for people with I/DD to develop and grow,” explains Bob. “The University students are a vital component in each of the five elements of Julia’s Community. The students’ work, interactions, and relationships with Julia's Community will be integrated into their academic disciplines and programs.”