Camphill Communities of Ireland Information

Camphill Communities of Ireland is a registered charity that part of an international movement working with people with intellectual disabilities and other kinds of special needs. In Camphill residents share their home, spiritual and working lives with those who are motivated to meet others as individuals needing support and recognition for what they are, and not as carer and cared for in the conventional sense. Most people providing support to those with disabilities are volunteers, coming locally or from abroad. Camphill is a way of life, where each person according to ability contributes what they can towards the well-being of the other. Pioneered by war refugees in Scotland almost 70 years ago, Camphill today numbers over 100 communities in 20 countries. In the Republic of Ireland, 18 communities of varying sizes and settings are home to around 500 people, plus a number of day attendees. Each person with a disability supported by Camphill has different needs. Camphill has responded by establishing centres that cater to those needs and by constantly adapting itself to meet changes in those needs. At the core of the community is the recognition of the dignity of people with disabilities, giving less importance to the material equivalent of the work that is done by those who care for them as part of the giving and sharing in communal life. The Camphill philosophy is that no matter what an individual's disability may appear to be, the spirit - the essential core that makes us all human - always remains whole. So everyone deserves equal respect and opportunities in life so that all may be able to fulfil their potential. The Camphill way of life in the western world is interwoven with recognisably Christian elements and themes. In every community there is a group of committed co-workers carrying out their work based on knowledge of Anthroposophy, a philosophy developed by Rudolf Steiner that emphasises the common elements of what it means to be human.