L'Arche A Community For Disabled People

L’Arche: A Community for Disabled People
Transcript
Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier
for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Jean Vanier was seeking something. He had just completed his service in the British
Navy. But he did not know what to do next. He did not know what to do with his life.
Voice 2
He looked for answers in books. He read about beauty and the value of human life. As a
Christian, he also studied Jesus' message of peace and the value of all people. But these
were only ideas. They left him feeling empty.
Voice 1
Today's Spotlight is on the life of Jean Vanier and the communities he began for people
with mental disabilities, called L'Arche. Through these communities Jean finally found
what he was looking for.
Voice 2
The story of the L'Arche communities begins in France, during the 1960's. At this time,
it was common belief that people with mental disabilities were not full people. They
were thought of as intelligent as animals. Families had a difficult time caring for a child
with disabilities. They often sent their disabled children to large institutions. These
places were not like homes. They were colourless and uninviting. In these places,
people had nothing to do but walk in circles again and again.
Voice 1
When Jean visited one of these places he realized that what was missing was love. He
knew that he wanted to do something, anything that might help the men living there.
Voice 2
Jean began by buying a small house. He named it L'Arche. He invited three men from
the institution to come and live with him. He says this about the first day,
Voice 3
"I was completely lost - especially with one of the men. He could not hear or speak. It
was difficult talking to him. I should never have removed him from his closed
institution into a free situation."
Voice 1
This man had to leave L'Arche. But two men, Raphael and Phillipe, remained. For
Raphael, Phillipe and Jean, life was poor and simple. Kathryn Spink, author of The
Miracle, The Message, The Story, a book about L'Arche, writes,
Voice 5
They had "...only cold water and one wood-burning stove. They went to the store
together. They prepared meals, cleaned the house, and did the washing. The men helped
as best they could with the different work in the house and garden. The men made some
people afraid and other people fill with pity. The more he became friends with the two
men, the more Jean was hurt by such ideas. Even by the people cheering him for what
he was doing."
Voice 2
As he lived with Raphael and Phillipe, Jean began to see them in a new way. Again,
Spink writes,
Voice 5
"Jean began to sense how living with them could change him. Not by developing his
intelligence or leadership skills, but by awakening the qualities of his heart. He was
moving towards the understanding that ‘to love someone means being prepared to waste
time with them.'"
Voice 2
Jean had looked for the meaning of life in books. But instead he found it in relationships
with people with mental disabilities.
Voice 1
Soon, more people joined the L'Arche community. Some people came to assist in the
care of the men. Some of these assistants came for religious reasons. Some came
because they were looking for a simpler life. But in the end, they were all changed
because of working there. One assistant remembers,
Voice 4
"There was a lot of disorder. We were unprepared in many ways. We were young and
threw ourselves into this new idea of ‘living together'. We did not think about how late
we went to bed. Or saving our energies or having a private life. But it was justified by
the fact that we were possibly the first to say to people with disabilities, ‘You are loved
just as you are.'"
Voice 2
L'Arche began to add buildings and take in more people with disabilities. People from
around the world came to visit and see what was happening. Many were parents of
children with mental disabilities. Some of the visitors began new L'Arche communities
back in their home countries. There are now 131 communities in over 30 countries.
Voice 1
But L'Arche had its problems too. One struggle was on the issue of religion. The first
L'Arche community was based on Christian ideas. But as the communities spread
around the world, not everyone was a Christian. Jean Vanier knew that faith was the
reason many assistants came to L'Arche communities. It was also a great help to many
mentally disabled people.
Voice 2
But if Jean were to say that L'Arche was only for Christians, it would add to the
loneliness that many people with mental disabilities already suffered. He had to find a
way for many religions to exist together in one community.
Voice 1
Over time, he began to understand that mentally disabled persons are often divided from
both family and tradition. What was more important than making people "Christian"
was to help each person connect to his or her own tradition. In this way, the pain of
rejection may give way to healing and wholeness.
Voice 2
Jean Vanier watched L'Arche grow from one community to many. He began to wonder
at the difference between who is able and who is disabled. He wondered at who was
really rich and who was poor. His work taught him that things are not always so clear.
Everyone carries pain in their hearts. But often it was those with mental disabilities who
ended up helping others. Jean says,
Voice 3
"The presence of people with disabilities meant that anything could happen. A server in
church could pour water and then walk off and water a flower. A disabled person
arriving at Tel Aviv airport at a time of great tension could walk up to a guard, push the
man's gun to one side and hold out his hand. The gift of a person with mental
disabilities is that they have the heart of a child. Even at the age of 40 or 50, a mentally
disabled person can be quite without restraint. They react as a child would. They
provide a different understanding of God, humanity and our world."
Voice 1
Today, L'Arche communities continue to serve people around the world. In the words of
Jean Vanier, they try to be
Voice 3
"Communities where people, whatever their race, religion, culture, abilities or

disabilities can find a place and show their gifts to the world."
Voice 2
The writer and producer of this program was Adam Navis. The voices you heard were
from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this
program and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can hear our programs, read our
scripts, and see our word list on our website at www.radioenglish.net. This program is
called "L'Arche: A Community for Disabled People." We hope you can join us again for
the next Spotlight Program. Goodbye.
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review!)
Question:
Have you ever felt like you were part of a community? What made that group or place
so important to you?

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L’Arche: A Community for Disabled People

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Adam Navis.

"Communities where people, whatever their race, religion, culture, abilities or

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