The Company of Others

In the next decade, six million North American families will be caring for someone with a disability. But other disabled people are not so lucky, left to live in isolation and without support in an era of federal and state cutbacks. This extraordinary book is about the transforming power of family and community on "vulnerable" individuals-the mentally challenged, the mentally ill, the elderly-and how these efforts enrich us as a society. The book tells the stories, interwoven with photographs, of five such people, who are surrounded by social "circles-friends and family whose respect, encouragement, and unconditional love give them a sense of purpose and belonging. Featuring beautiful duotone photographs, the stories told here are profoundly inspiring, giving hope to anyone who, because of age, health, or disability, has been excluded from having a full and meaningful life. Co-produced with PLAN (Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network).