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contributions people can make to
community life, not force everything
through the sausage machine of paid
employment.
l Inclusive education Why do we teach
our children that life is all about fitting
into some tightly defined hierarchy of
meritocratic values? Surely, every child
must be supported to discover their
own gifts and find their own path in life.
l Independent living Everyone belongs
and everyone can have a life of meaning
and contribution. Needing extra support
should not be a barrier to this. The
social care system must be redesigned
to enable people to control their own
lives and their own support.
l Inclusive communities We must not
All humans together: L’Arche’s 40th anniversary celebration at Westminster Cathedral force people out of communities
because their income is too low, their
beginning to realise that everyone, every skin colour is wrong or they have extra
human being, is important. We are “ I founded L’Arche to needs. Communities must welcome
beginning to see that every human being difference and offer people homes and
is beautiful. ‘do good’ to people with places, real and virtual, where people
“At the heart of this revolution are not the disabilities. I had no idea can meet, discuss and create together.
powerful, the wealthy or the intelligent. It how they were going to l Constitutional reform Ultimately, we
is people with disabilities who are showing need to live in democracies that enable
us what is important – love, community do good to me power to be decentralised and enable
and the freedom to be ourselves.” ” citizens and communities to take greater
The context was so interesting. He was responsibility for shaping their destinies,
receiving the Templeton Prize at St Martin interests. The presence of people with within a framework of human rights.
in the Fields on Trafalgar Square. This tiny, learning disabilities within the political Social problems today reflect the
frail individual was standing among the process may even bring some honesty and challenges Vanier describes. Justice does
powerful with a twinkle in his eye and a humility to that strange world. not mean establishing some neutral set of
smile on his lips and overturning the most rules and rights that enable individuals to
important value system upon which their Real, mucky community just get on with their lives. It means far
power rests – not power, not even money What might Vanier’s revolution look like more – living together, valuing each other
but their faith in their own superiority. for the welfare state as a whole? and creating a better world together. n
Vanier captured exactly the fundamental As he says, we need community, but
flaw in the thinking and behaviour of the real community is mucky, a little bit crazy Simon Duffy is director of the Centre for
powerful; they behave as if the point of and often quite annoying. But it is only Welfare Reform: www.centreforwelfare
life is to climb higher and higher, to even community that can create the beauty, reform.org
clamber up upon the backs of the weak. truth and the love we all need.
But where are they going? What will they We must reconsider many common References
find when they get there? assumptions about how best to organise Vanier Jean (2004) Drawn into the Mystery of
I think that Vanier’s challenge to the society and the welfare state. Many Jesus through the Gospel of St John. Mahwah,
powerful is right. However, I also feel that practical and social changes are needed: New Jersey: Paulist Press
the weak cannot afford to wait for the l Basic income We will need to secure Further information
Warren Pot/Wikimedia Commons; Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk/Flickr
strong to wake up to their true needs. everyone’s income without relying on Jean Vanier official site: www.jean-vanier.org/en
Mental handicap “hospitals”, like the one I enforced labour, stigma and shame. We Jean Vanier 1928-2019. www.larche.org/web/
visited and which, as Vanier rightly said, need to recognise the many different jeanvanier/home
“crush disabled people”, had to be closed.
The reason they were closed was because
families, people with disabilities and their Shared lives in L’Arche communities
allies came together to work and to lobby to
bring about their closure. It did not happen Jean Vanier (1928-2019) founded L’Arche, an international federation of
by accident or because some politician communities for people with learning disabilities and those who assist them.
suddenly woke up to their injustice. l The first L’Arche community began in 1964 when Jean Vanier welcomed two men
We do need to organise and to join the with learning disabilities into his home in France
political process. Unless people with l Today, there are 147 communities in 35 countries on five continents
disabilities and families are present in that l In L’Arche communities, people share their lives together and build a society
process – just as they should be present at l L’Arche philosophy is rooted in Christianity, but communities are open to people
every other level of community life – they of all faiths and none
will not be able to defend their rights or

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