The Lambs of Libertyville: A Working Community of Retarded Adults

Lambs Farm, located in Libertyville, Ill., is an acclaimed facility for developmentally disabled people. In this warmly told, anecdotal story of its beginnings, PW 's Midwest correspondent offers an informal history of the changes in approaches to helping the retarded. In 1962 Bob Terese and Corinne Owen, believing that mentally disabled people varied widely in potential and ability, began working to help individuals find their own levels of competence. Over three decades, they fashioned a model rural residential community, home to 180 retarded adults, that now includes an inn, an ice cream store and other enterprises staffed by the residents. For parents and teachers of the retarded, as well as for the general population, there is much to be gleaned from this success story. (Nov.)