Special Education with Guy Alma
[Episode 13] Guy Alma is a distinctive individual. Although we certainly had the pleasure of talking with him about his journey culminating at the Camphill School, we soon realized there was something bigger. We realized that we were talking to someone who is wholeheartedly doing what they were meant to do with their lives. He lives and breathes his work at The Camphill School. It’s rare that any of us meet people who are perfectly happy and content in their life’s work. It’s even more rare to find someone who is happy and content and inspired (and inspiring) to do what they do on a daily basis.
If the friction in people’s lives can be measured by the difference in what they want out of life and what they have, Guy has a very light load. We hope you enjoy getting to know Guy and that he can inspire you to find that one thing that brings you lifelong contentment.
Episode Book Pairing
Each episode the The Gray Matters podcast is paired with a book that complements the episode’s subject matter. This book goes deeper into Guy’s passion: The Camphill School.
Camphill and the Future: Spirituality and Disability in an Evolving Communal Movement
by Dan McKanan
The Camphill movement, one of the world’s largest and most enduring networks of intentional communities, deserves both recognition and study. Founded in Scotland at the beginning of the Second World War, Camphill communities still thrive today, encompassing thousands of people living in more than one hundred twenty schools, villages, and urban neighborhoods on four continents. Camphillers of all abilities share daily work, family life, and festive celebrations with one another and their neighbors. Unlike movements that reject mainstream society, Camphill expressly seeks to be “a seed of social renewal” by evolving along with society to promote the full inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities, who comprise nearly half of their residents. In this multifaceted exploration of Camphill, Dan McKanan traces the complexities of the movement’s history, envisions its possible future, and invites ongoing dialogue between the fields of disability studies and communal studies.
Get your copy of Camphill and the Future: Spirituality and Disability in an Evolving Communal Movement from Bookshop.org.
About Guy Alma
Guy combines a background in social science and administration with seventeen years of experience working with adolescents with developmental disabilities as houseparent, prevocational instructor, and high school classroom teacher. He is certified in youth guidance and special education, as well as trained in group work, facilitation, conflict resolution, and organizational development. He has served as Camphill Special School’s Director of Development since 1998.
