Living

The Camphill Soltane community offers a supportive, relationship-rich environment for young adults with developmental disabilities, providing a foundation for their personal growth and sense of self, and for the development of their social and practical capacities.

Home Life

Students live in one of eight houses in the community, along with long-term, residential volunteers, called coworkers. One or more coworkers in each house are usually designated as householders, with the responsibility to manage the household, and care for the well-being of all house residents.

Camphill Soltane households depend upon the contributions of everyone to function fully and effectively. Most responsibilities for running the household are shared among all house members, with each performing tasks according to his or her capacities. Coworkers actively support students’ skill development and maintenance by coaching them in basic household tasks such as cooking, cleaning, room care, and laundry.

Students and coworkers help to create households that are peaceful, beautiful, clean, and well-ordered. The therapeutic effects of such an environment are of direct support to people’s well-being. Television sets are noticeably absent, with conversation, reading, and other involvements providing the primary forms of social engagement. Pantries are stocked with healthful foods, mostly unprocessed and much of it organic. Large dining rooms are a focal point in every household, where house members gather for shared meals.

Home life centers around relationships, shared agreements that uphold the well-being of each member of the household, and moments throughout each week for house members to gather together for quiet reflection. Weekly household meetings provide forums for discussion of topics that are of direct relevance to house members.

Students at Camphill Soltane also benefit from a strong network of peer support from older community residents with disabilities, who make up a smaller proportion of the residents with disabilities in the community. These older people have joined our Community House program in a long-term, residential capacity (enrollments in this program are extremely limited).

There are also a number of Day Students who participate in our program, but reside with their parents or other guardians in the local area. Please inquire with our Student Admissions   office for more information.

Health, Safety, and Well-Being

Students who require direct personal care receive this care from a same-gender coworker who lives in their household. Coworkers receive training in medication administration, and accompany students on visits to physicians, psychiatrists, dentists, and other practitioners as needed. Soltane has connections in the local area with physicians who practice both conventional and anthroposophical medicine.

Camphill Soltane receives support for the health and well-being of community members from a Clinical Advisor. In addition, groups of interested coworkers actively uphold the social therapeutic intentions of the Soltane community by sharing information pertinent to individuals' support needs and providing guidance to households teams, teachers, and other staff.

Camphill Soltane is committed to an environment where all people are free of abuse, and feel safe in their living and working environments. We have strong supports in place that contribute to these goals, including Abuse Recognition and Prevention training for all students and coworkers, abuse disclosure procedures, and well-being agreements in households.