Don Lewis, 30, of Mt. Lebanon, has cerebral palsy, uses a motorized wheelchair and doesn't have a lot of opportunity to socialize and meet new people with common interests.

"He sees people at work who go out and do things," said Lewis's mother, Jule Appelbe. "He has a great desire to meet people. The dating situation is not there. They don't have an opportunity to meet each other."

But in September, Lewis attended a dance in Green Tree with more than 200 people with mental retardation, developmental disabilities and other handicaps. He had a blast.

"He loved it," Appelbe said.

The dance is now a monthly effort by the private, nonprofit PA Connecting Communities, a group of about 40 special education teachers, speech pathologists, nurses and other professionals who have been working together in various agencies, such as Special Olympics and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, for about 20 to 25 years.

The group, headquartered in Bethel Park, was established this year and its members hope to fill the gap in social services for people with disabilities. Led by executive directors Arlene Bair and Peggy Mannella, PA Connecting Communities also offers other services, including respite care and such activities as bowling, classes in dancing and cooking and weight training in several locations in Allegheny County.

Lewis, who works part time at the downtown YMCA in the laundry department, enjoys meeting people his age. But Appelbe said people with disabilities often are lumped into one group so that 17-year-olds must socialize with 70-year-olds with whom they share little in common.

"They're all clumped together," Appelbe said. PA Connecting Communities tries to tailor specific programs to the appropriate age group.

In Don's case, he sees his older and younger brothers working and socializing and wants to be like them. But many programs in the area have waiting lists for services and few focus on social skills.

"It seems like we're going backwards," Appelbe said. "The programs of 10 years ago seem to have been gung ho" on social skills and recreation. But now, she said, programs seem to be "in the Dark Ages." Mannella said that's due to deep funding cuts that have slashed many programs, including those run by the Community College of Allegheny County and local agencies.

But Mannella does not think of such programs as extras that can be cut. Social skills and the ability to build relationships are vital.

"That should be the beginning point in someone's life," she said, comparing a life to a house. "Without that footer, it's not too solid."

With the program cuts, people with disabilities are often stuck at home, creating what Mannella calls "mini-institutions," with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

PA Connecting Communities is funded by the fees individuals pay to participate, and the staff is seeking grants and donations to expand their services. To Mannella's knowledge, no other area program offers such an extensive list of social activities, especially the dances.

"They just get so excited for the dances," said PA Connecting Communities volunteer Emily Marier, 20, a junior at California University of Pennsylvania and a Bethel Park High School alumna. "There's usually nobody just sitting there doing nothing."

Marier got so much personal satisfaction from volunteering over the last six years that she's become a special education major and her work already has helped her. "I'm past the ignorance of not knowing about disabilities."

For Don Lewis, the dances give him a vital connection he's eager to return to once he recovers from recent surgery.

"I think PA Connect is the ticket," Appelbe said. "They have the enthusiasm that a lot of groups don't have."

The next dance, geared for people age 21 and older, is from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Sunday at the Holiday Inn-Green Tree. The cost is $25 for students and $20 for staff. For more information, see www.paconnectingcommunities.org.