One likes his coffee with cream and sugar. The other prefers to sip the hot drink while puffing on a pipe.

Like so many other members of the community, Terry Truhe and Roy Walker were downtown Saturday afternoon, kicking back at a local coffee shop.

They talked about their jobs and their friends, joking and relaxing with each other after a week of work.

But any observer could see it was everyday conversation in the midst of extraordinary circumstances.

Both men have severe developmental disabilities that for many years of their lives kept them out of mainstream society and even institutionalized. Walker, 49, has difficulty speaking, while Truhe, 50, comes across as alert and intense. Neither can drive.

Yet the roommates and co-workers are able to live on their own. They control their spending and free time, and along with six others they will be honored Tuesday for their accomplishments at the 25th anniversary celebration of Community Living Opportunities Inc.

“They’re in control, that’s the most amazing thing,” said Ivo Ivanov, director of marketing and fund development for CLO.

Fifteen years ago such an outing would have been unthinkable for the two men, who have greatly improved their social skills, Ivanov said. And yet something as simple as hanging out downtown can make all the difference for men like Walker and Truhe.

“These little things that we take for granted – they add up and make your life,” he said.

Helping those with developmental disabilities become active members of society is one goal of CLO, which works with more than 200 individuals in Lawrence and Overland Park.

Community Living Opportunities Inc., a nonprofit organization that advocates independence for adults with developmental disabilities, on Tuesday will honor eight of its clients. Ivo Ivanov, director of marketing and fund development for CLO, left, shares a laugh on Saturday with two of the honorees, Roy Walker, center, and Terry Truhe, right.

When the organization was established in 1977, the idea of incorporating those with mental disabilities such as autism or Down syndrome into society was maybe not unheard of, but definitely not the norm, Ivanov said.

And yet such individuals have a huge potential to lead normal lives, he said. The trick is getting them around other people and involved in the outside world.

Not so long ago, Walker and Truhe would have lived in state institutions, Ivanov said.

“These people are so happy that that’s not the case anymore,” he added.

On Saturday, Truhe remembered being shuttled between institutions before he connected with CLO in 1991. Now, he said, he’s been able to put down roots in Lawrence. Both he and Walker are two of the longest-working employees at Hastings, 1900 W. 23rd St.

They are proud of the checks they earn and deposit in the bank. Walker enjoys basketball, and Truhe does the cooking. Their home, said Ivanov, is immaculate.

“They’ve accomplished a lot,” he said. “They have jobs in the community. They have become part of the social fabric of the community.”

The ceremony is set from 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Abe & Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St. The organization is expecting about 800 people to attend the invitation-only event, which will include movies of the honorees, a light dinner and dancing.

“It’s really very significant for these guys,” Ivanov said. “Really, for the first time in their life, they’ll be in the limelight.”