Creating connections: a community capacity-building project with parents and youth with disabilities in transition to...

The transition to adulthood presents many challenges for youth with disabilities and their families. Barriers in the environment often limit the full inclusion of these youth in daily community life. The purpose of this paper is to describe a community capacity-building (CCB) approach to facilitating the transition to adulthood for youth with developmental disabilities and their families. A pilot project that used a CCB approach with this population in one community in southcentral Ontario is described. The results of a qualitative, participatory evaluation demonstrate the benefits and challenges of this approach, with themes of increased community connections for youth and a greater awareness of their strengths and capacities. The perceived outcomes of the participants and the "lessons learned" for future initiatives using a CCB approach with different populations are discussed, as well as the fit between community capacity-building and occupational therapy. This pilot project demonstrates that a CCB approach has the potential to assist youth with disabilities to participate within their own communities.