It’s a basic human desire to fit in, and for many people that means having a satisfying career that enables them to earn their own way in life. It also means a home they can call their own.

People with physical or mental impairments are no different, despite the obstacles of a disability such as autism, Down syndrome or cerebral palsy.

That’s why a program like the Lifesteps Transitions Program ... The Next Step is an exciting addition to the community’s life-skills repertoire.

The one-year-old program, which was featured Friday on the Butler Eagle’s Focus page, serves high school graduates with physical or mental impairments and who need more extensive preparation for the job market — young adults who have finished high school and don’t know what to do next.

In previous generations, most people in this category were institutionalized. What’s becoming demonstrably clear is that people with disabilities can and should be important and contributing components in everyday life — most of them just need a little extra help, and The Next Step, for many is just the help they need.

Lifesteps sponsors the program, which is housed in a former preschool in Jackson Township. Lynn Pukylo, the director, is the mother of a young woman who fits the profile of a Transitions Program client.

The goal is to help adults aged of 18 and 28 determine what their next steps should beregarding their living situation and employment. The staff meets with new students and their families to develop an individual education plan setting long-term and annual goals. Some students function at higher levels than others, so each will have different goals and benchmarks.

Home school districts pay the tuition for students younger than 21. Older students pay via the state Department of Public Welfare. In both cases, it’s better to invest public money in their training that to pay for several decades of institutionalization.

The program includes traditional classroom work; a mock kitchen and home setting to practice domestic skills like laundry and cooking; community volunteer projects; work on career portfolios, home budgets and mock job interviews.

The greater community needs to embrace this program and its students. Businesses that are able should consider providing jobs, not as an act of charity but as an avenue for individuals to earn their way. Existing programs like the Slippery Rock University’s transitions program and the Butler Couty ARC job shelter, should continue to explore cooperative ventures and expand opportunities for young people with disabilities.

We pursue these goals because, in the long run and for the greater good, it’s the right and expedient thing to do; and because societies are judged by their treatment of the least among them.

The Lifesteps Transitions Program ... The Next Step is conducting an open house from 3 to 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at the program’s center, 339 Lindsay Road, Zelienople. Our hope is that the beginnings of a supportive network will take root at the open house, not only for the good of the clients, but for that of Butler County and the surrounding region.