Resource Browser Page
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| May 6, 2013 |
Q & A on the ADA: The Church and the Americans with Disabilities ActAccessibility The ADA is an act to prohibit disability discrimination. It is not a call to help people. Churches commit disability discrimination even while at the same time they help people, including helping some who have a functional loss or limitation. |
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| July 31, 2012 |
Including a Boy with Disabilities in CadetsChurch Education It comes simply and sincerely, “We’d like our son to be a Cadet!” Tony’s different from the other boys. He has some physical challenges, and he goes to a special school. He seems to walk a bit differently. Does this simple request throw you into a panic? |
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| July 24, 2012 |
Large Print BiblesAccessibility Bible publishers use the terms "large," "extra large," or "giant print" for editions of the Bible which are not truly large print. So, to avoid confusion, here is a list of truly large print Bibles in various versions. |
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| March 26, 2012 |
Extending the Welcome before People Come through the DoorAccessibility We like to tell ourselves, “My church welcomes anyone.” But our failure to make our buildings and communication and programs accessible to a wide range of people sends the opposite message. |
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| December 19, 2011 |
Understanding Disability and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990Accessibility In 1993 the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in North America went on record to heartily recommend full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). Compliance is still incomplete in or outside churches. What is the ADA really about? |
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| June 23, 2011 |
Cultural Perspectives of Foreign-born Persons in the U.S. Regarding DisabilityCaring Many congregations have members who are immigrants from various countries, some of whom live with disabilities. The monographs linked to this article will help church leaders minister better to congregation members both by getting a better understanding of the culture and of the culture's perspective |
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| February 8, 2011 |
Ideas for Your Church to Help a Child with Disabilities and His FamilyHospitality “A family attending our church has a child with disabilities. We want to help. What should we do? Where do we start?” This little resource is packed with great ideas to help you and your church get started. |
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| December 16, 2010 |
Action Steps for InclusionGetting Started The Equally Able Foundation produced a short list of action steps for inclusion. We adapted this list and added some links to resources. While there are many things that can be done to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities, the following are steps in the right direction... |
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| December 9, 2010 |
Is This How a Deaf Person Feels?Advocacy A woman reflects on her "disability" as a hearing person who knows little sign language at a conference where most attendees are deaf and use sign language to communicate. |
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| December 7, 2010 |
How Inclusive Is My Congregation?Accessibility This simple tool* will help you assess how well your congregation is including and engaging people with disabilities in ministry. |
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| November 4, 2010 |
Using Computers For Inclusive WorshipWorship Without intending to, worship planners, tech crews, and secretaries create handouts and slides that are difficult to read for people with visual impairments. These guidelines will help a church make their electronic and print materials more accessible and useful for all members of the congregation. |
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| July 27, 2010 |
Overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the ADA Amendments Act of 2008Accessibility More than 54 million Americans with physical or mental impairments that substantially limit daily activities are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This brief article summarizes the titles of the 1990 ADA and the 2008 Amendment to the ADA. |
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| July 18, 2010 |
A Baker’s Dozen Frequently Asked Questions about Hearing LoopsAccessibility Answers to common questions about hearing loop systems to help readers better understand this important technology. |
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| July 9, 2010 |
Together, We Create DisabilityAccessibility Once we recognize and admit to our participation in other people’s disabilities, we can begin to remove the barriers to participation that we have erected. It’s those barriers that we together create that cause problems of accessibility for people with disabilities, barriers of architecture, communication, and attitude. For example ... |
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| May 24, 2010 |
Funding for Church Building AccessibilityAccessibility For building improvements, there are three foundations of which we are aware that will give accessibility grants to churches in specific regions. |
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| May 4, 2010 |
Getting Intentional about Inclusive Church EducationChurch Education Although many people think about people with disabilities as having needs and non-disabled people having gifts to offer, nondisabled and disabled each have gifts and needs. Each of us has green areas of our lives – things that we are good at – and pink areas – things we are not good at. Like the various members of body, so the puzzle pieces fit together because we all need each other... |
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| February 10, 2010 |
More Help is Close ByAdvocacy Disability Concerns has a network of Regional Disability Advocates who are eager to assist the churches of their classes. If you wish to be in touch with one of them, click on the name of the Regional Advocate below. In your note, please tell us the name of your church, your city and province/state. |
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| February 2, 2010 |
Empathy: a Key to Inclusive MinistryHospitality While leading a worship service I encouraged the congregation to think about ways to make people with disabilities feel welcome. I praised them for several things they were doing well, and I pointed out several areas for improvement such as making pew cutouts for people who use wheelchairs. After the service, one man defended his church, “If someone comes in a wheelchair, he can sit in the front.” |
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| January 28, 2010 |
30 Ways You Can Be Hospitable to People with DisabilitiesGetting Started The Christian Reformed and Reformed Church in America collaborated to produce this resource which highlights what ordinary people are already doing in their Christian Reformed or Reformed Church in America congregations. Additional copies can be printed to hang in your church... |
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| January 6, 2010 |
Resolution on Disabilities Adopted by the CRCAdvocacy The Christian Reformed Church made an express commitment at the 1985 meeting of the Synod to break down barriers and work for the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the life of the congregation. The following is the wording of that commitment... |
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Average Rating | |
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| March 22, 2011 |
Glamorizing Disability?Caring I had an odd thought today. At least, it seems like an odd thought for a guy who views life from a wheelchair. Is it possible that I’m too dismissive about the issue of following Jesus as a person with a disability? |
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| March 15, 2011 |
Parenting Children with DisabilitiesCaring Parenting children requires the wisdom of Solomon, the faith of Mary, the patience of Job, courage of Deborah, and the strength of Samson when your child moves out of the house. When God calls on parents to raise a child with disabilities, the work takes on added challenges. |
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| March 7, 2011 |
Grandin, Zuckerberg, and AutismAccessibility A number of years ago, Wired Magazine published, “The Geek Syndrome,” an article about the high incidence of people with autism and Asperger’s syndrome who live in Silicon Valley, California. Since that time, the connection between technical innovation and autism has been repeated in articles and talks shows... |
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| February 28, 2011 |
Bring It On, SatanCaring Tim Bosch and several of his family members headed to Montreal for a routine checkup for Tim, that is, as routine as a checkup can get for a 15-year-old with brittle bone disease. They were prepared for bad news about Tim's leg. Since breaking his left femur in 2009, Tim had persistent pain. They were not prepared for even more difficult news. |
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| February 21, 2011 |
Recommended Film: Like Stars on EarthCaring Last night my wife and I watched a gentle film called Like Stars on Earth which tells the story of an 8-year-old boy who suffers the abuse of classmates, teachers, and even his own parents for his inability to do what most other children learn easily. Accused by his father and teachers of being disobedient and defiant, he is sent to a boarding school ... |
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| February 14, 2011 |
God Cares that We CareCaring A few years ago a friend and former co-worker became a caretaker for her elderly neighbor who lived in what we would call debilitating circumstances. No one asked my friend. She just thought it was her responsibility. She saw the need and gave of her time, experience, encouragement, and herself to help stave off the further deterioration of a person struggling with basic living needs and physical disabilities. |
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| February 8, 2011 |
A Virtual Misfits Club for Parents of Children with Disabilities?Caring Would you like to connect with parents of children with disabilities who share a similar faith story? Sara Pot began a discussion on our forum page, but only a couple people responded yet. I hope you'll post a comment on the forum too, especially if you are raising a child who has a disability. |
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| February 1, 2011 |
New Booklet out for Expectant Parents of Child with Down SyndromeCaring Some research suggests that as many as 90 percent of children with Down Syndrome in the U.S. are aborted annually. Prenatal testing continues to advance so that confirmation of Down Syndrome is more accurate and easier. It’s a national tragedy that we as a society in North America are throwing away human lives through abortion, and such a high percentage of babies with Down Syndrome. |
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| January 25, 2011 |
Mental Illness, Isolation, and MinistryAdvocacy The discussion last week after my post about the Tucson shooting brought home to me all the more clearly that mental illnesses do not affect “those people” over there, but they are us. Pejorative labels like “crazy” and “whacko” only reinforce this separation or stigma which hovers over people with mental illnesses. But the people who live with mental illness are not just those with the disease itself, but also their family members, friends, fellow church members, and society as a whole. |
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| January 18, 2011 |
A Second Arizona TragedyAdvocacy The first tragedy, of course, is the senseless death of six people and wounding of several others including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords a week and a half ago. A second tragedy arises from the first. This second tragedy follows on the heels of every random act of mass violence. |
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| January 11, 2011 |
Who Are You Encouraging?Hospitality Temple Grandin highlighted people in her life that made the difference for her between institutionalization and international acclaim. Among others, her mother, a nanny, a high school science teacher, a college professor, an engineer on a job site all believed in her, encouraged her in her gifts, and helped her navigate the challenging matter of understanding the mysterious world, to her, of human relationships. |
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| January 3, 2011 |
Dick Clark's Very Public DisabilityAccessibility People reacted in various ways to Dick Clark's continued work after his stroke six years ago. Some laugh at him. Some appreciate him. Some think he should quit. Some are creeped out by him. Some love him. Some are inspired by him. Some swear at him. These are common responses that people with disabilities have to deal with on a day to day basis. |
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| December 27, 2010 |
Disability and the Image of GodAdvocacy Individually and collectively we image God. We collectively image God, because God is a divine community of three Persons. One person alone cannot image God fully, because God is a community. |
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| December 23, 2010 |
Behold, It is Blessed to Give and ReceiveHospitality Healthy churches think about and work at hospitality. Like our Lord himself, they give and receive hospitality graciously. In the body of Christ, all of us are hosts and all of us are guests. All of us reflect the Lord himself, who received and gave. All of us have something to give and something to receive from each other. |
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| December 14, 2010 |
Do You Belong in Bethlehem?What happens when our own fears, preoccupations, and self-pity get in the way of our worship of the new born King? |
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| December 7, 2010 |
Siblings of People with DisabilitiesCaring Heather DeBoer reflects on life with her sister Jess, who lives with severe multiple disabilities. |
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| November 29, 2010 |
The Boy in the MoonAdvocacy Journalist Ian Brown applied his skills to plumb the depths of raising a son, Walker, who has severe disabilities resulting from a genetic disorder, CFC. In his quest for meaning, among others he seeks out wisdom from Buddhism, from a shaman at a native healing center, and from Jean Vanier, founder of the L’Arche communities. As a Christian, I can’t endorse all of his conclusions, but reading about his journey helped to enlighten my own path. It’s something that some of us Calvinists call “common grace.” |
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| November 24, 2010 |
It's a Happy Thanksgiving!Caring I feel sorry for people who don’t have the privilege of raising a child who has a disability |
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| November 17, 2010 |
Universal Design in a Church SettingAccessibility Universal design assumes BOTH that people have different needs and different ways of doing the same thing AND that these different people should have equal access to public facilities. How would Universal Design look in a church setting? |
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| November 2, 2010 |
Fly, Johnnie, FlyAccessibility I don’t think that the flight crew of that US Airways flight set out to bully Johnnie. I pray, though, that this incident will be another step toward people with disabilities outrunning the prejudices that they face daily. |
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| February 27, 2013 |
Webinar - Beyond the Ramp: Disability Ministry Live Q&AGetting Started A boy in your congregation has autism and many challenging behaviors. A man with intellectual disabilities makes sexually-oriented comments to women in your church. Parents of a girl with severe disabilities are worn out and turn to your congregation for help. What do you do? |
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| February 20, 2013 |
Faith Formation and Special NeedsChurch Education This edition of the journal Lifelong Faith: the Theory and Practice of Lifelong Faith Formation "presents theological and theoretical reflections on faith formation with people with special needs, as well as practical suggestions for ministry and learning." |
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| January 17, 2013 |
Grant for Training to Become Inclusive MinistryAccessibility CLC Network offers their DVD series featuring Barbara J. Newman, Making Room: Creating Communities of Inclusion and the accompanying training manual, G.L.U.E. Training Manual for free. |
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| January 11, 2013 |
Making Room: Creating Communities of InclusionGetting Started FREE ministry training: CLC Network has their new DVD, "Making Room: Creating Communities of Inclusion" and the accompanying G.L.U.E. Training Manual, available free to any churches who want to engage people with disabilities in church life. |
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| October 4, 2012 |
Webinar - Call to Clergy: How to Support Mental Health Challenges in Your CongregationCaring In our lifetimes, one out of every four of us will experience a diagnosable mental illness, and the stigma around mental illness causes many to suffer in silence. This webinar will help faith leaders understand mental illness. |
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| September 12, 2012 |
Paralympics and the Meaning of "Disability"Accessibility If we hope to have learnt something from the Paralympics, this truth has to be it. Only when the word disability is seen as including ‘ability’ will society have understood what it means. |
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| September 5, 2012 |
Helping Kids include Kids with DisabilitiesChurch Education This fine book by Barbara Newman just got better with the revised edition just out. |
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| July 13, 2012 |
Clinical Pastoral Education with People who have DisabilitiesCaring This Clinical Pastoral Education program provides intensive and extensive training for clergy, seminarians, and lay persons who will learn from their clinical work and assignments with community based agencies and rehabilitation centers serving persons with disabilities and their families. |
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| April 10, 2012 |
Maternal Obesity, Diabetes Linked to Autism, Other DisabilityCaring A new study discovers a strong relationship between maternal obesity and diabetes, and the likelihood of having a child with autism or another developmental disability. |
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| April 7, 2012 |
Healthy Living with Bipolar DisorderCaring The goal of Healthy Living with Bipolar Disorder is "to provide new perspectives and helpful guides to healthy living, while recognizing the stigma and challenges of bipolar disorder." |
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| March 22, 2012 |
Volunteer Respite Manual: Creating Valuable Options for Family CaregiversCaring Respite allows family caregivers to take a short pause from their continuous tasks as caregivers while their loved ones continue to be cared for at home or in safe, meaningful, and appropriate community settings. |
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| February 29, 2012 |
One QuestionCaring In this seven and one-half minute video, 35 people with intellectual disabilities answer the same one question: If you can change one thing about yourself, what would you change? Their answers will surprise you. |
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| February 28, 2012 |
Survey: the Christian Community and People with DisabilitiesAccessibility The Disability Studies Institute (DSI) of California Baptist University is interested in creating a snapshot of the current status of the Christian community's interaction with people with disabilities by means of a survey. DSI is hoping that individuals and representatives of church, parachurch organizations, or other Christian faith-based organizations will participate in this study by completing the survey. |
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| January 23, 2012 |
Mental Illness and Families of FaithCaring This tool is designed to be used with clergy, members of congregations, family members and anyone desiring to learn more about mental illness and how to respond with compassion and care. It can be used as a small group study or as a resource to quickly find information on a specific topic when the need arises. |
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| January 9, 2012 |
Creative Housing Solution is Win WinHospitality Seminary students and people with intellectual disabilities need housing. Why not together? In this article by Matt Floding describes the Friendship House, in which 18 seminary students and 6 adults with intellectual disabilities live together in community. |
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| January 9, 2012 |
Ontario churches required to comply with the AODAAccessibility The deadline for complying with Phase 1 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) for the private and non-profit sectors was January 1, 2012. Any organization in Ontario that has one or more employees must comply with the AODA standards. Is your church in compliance? |
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| January 8, 2012 |
Being RetardedAdvocacy A mother challenges the casual use of the word "retarded." "This is Maura. Her diagnosis? Cognitively disabled. Which means retarded. When you call yourself retarded, you’re also calling my child stupid. Because you use the word as just that – another form of stupid. Let’s get something straight here. . . . Maura is not stupid." |
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| January 6, 2012 |
Kudos to Target. Now, church, it's your turn.Hospitality This blog by Shannon Dingle invites the church to learn a lesson from Target and thereby increase the size of the church's "bucket." |
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| December 22, 2011 |
The How-To's of AccessibilityAccessibility In this article, Mark Pinsky, author of the forthcoming book Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability, and Inclusion, tells stories of several people with disabilities who not only became involved but also became indispensable members of their congregations. |
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| December 5, 2011 |
Mental Illness: Coping with the HolidaysCaring This resource from Mental Health Ministries includes tips on coping with the stresses of the holidays for people living with mental illnesses, for their family and friends, and for their community of faith. |
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Date |
Average Rating | |
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| March 11, 2013 |
GKSN: Grandparents of Kids with Special NeedsCaring No one knows what it is like to be the grandparent of a child with disabilities better than another grandparent. |
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| January 24, 2013 |
The Disability ForumAdvocacy The Disability Forum is "a space where churches, ministry leaders, writers, theologians, persons with disabilities, families and friends can discover what is happening in disability ministries across Canada and maybe, around the world." |
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| December 11, 2012 |
Grandparents of Kids with Special NeedsCaring If you have a grandchild with special needs, no one will understand your joys and concerns better than another grandparent. |
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| November 15, 2012 |
Accessible Worship Services, Meetings, and PresentationsAccessibility A church that makes its building accessible has taken an important step toward accessibility for people with disabilities. But leaders need to ask whether their communication and programs are accessible too. This single page collects many resources for changing our language, power point slides, meetings, and worship services so that people with various disabilities can participate more fully. |
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| November 12, 2012 |
Free Resources from BethesdaGetting Started Once costing $25 and now a free download, Bethesda's manual, Building a Developmental Disability Ministry, guides leadership teams through all the various ministry-building stages: from planning to implementation, evaluation and ongoing ministry development. |
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| September 18, 2012 |
Funding for Accessibility Projects in CanadaAccessibility Funding from Canadian government for accessibility projects includes churches. Up to $50K. Hurry! Deadline for application is October 5. |
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| August 22, 2012 |
Canary SanctuariesAccessibility Another way to welcome and reach out: let people know that your church is "fragrance free" using this website. |
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| May 4, 2012 |
Grants for Programs for ChildrenCaring Got a good idea for programming that will minister to kids with disabilities? CVS is offering grants up to $5000 to support nonprofit organizations raise awareness in schools and communities about the importance of inclusion, build barrier-free playgrounds, and provide medical rehabilitation and related services to children with disabilities. |
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| March 12, 2012 |
Making Church Communications More User FriendlyAccessibility Newsletters, web pages, projected slides, and bulletins can enhance or hinder communication depending on how they are formatted and the colors used. Lighthouse International has produced guidelines for print, electronic, and web communication that will help anyone who wants to make their church resources more useful. |
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| January 19, 2012 |
National Association for Rural Mental HealthCaring Finding resources in a rural setting for people with mental illnesses can be especially challenging. The National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) is a professional organization that serves the field of rural mental health. |
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| January 19, 2012 |
Medline PlusMedline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, provides solid medical information about various disabilities including mental illnesses. |
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| October 11, 2011 |
The Medicaid Reference DeskCaring This tool will help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and people who care about them find out what Medicaid (a U.S. assistance program) can offer them. |
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| July 21, 2011 |
Disabilities and FaithGetting Started From the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University, this website features resources websites, and powerpoint presentations for use in training people of faith to include individuals with disabilities. |
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| January 10, 2011 |
Signing SavvyChurch Education This website includes an English to sign language video dictionary, and many other tools for learning single signs, fingerspelling, practicing sentences, and more. Simple tools are free including the video dictionary. Advanced tools require registration and a monthly fee. |
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| November 19, 2010 |
The Abilities ChurchWorship This church looks like a new model for a church plant. Not a church for people with disabilities, nor a church that ministers to people with disabilities, nor even a church that includes people with disabilities, but a church whose organizing principle is engagement of people of varying abilities in all aspects of ministry. |
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| November 19, 2010 |
UN International Day of Persons with DisabilitiesAdvocacy This year's theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December 2010 is "Keeping the Promise: Mainstreaming Disability in the Millennium Development Goals towards 2015 and Beyond." |
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| September 29, 2010 |
Disability is NaturalAccessibility Kathie Snow's website has a host of great resources. Don't miss the newsletter sign-up, her articles on people-first language, and that list at the bottom of her homepage, "The World Would Be a Better Place If . . . " |
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| July 21, 2010 |
Aspergian PrideCaring Not only does this site contain articles that present positive views of autistic identity, but also it maintains an extensive list of resource and advocacy sites. |
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| July 5, 2010 |
National Complete Streets CoalitionAdvocacy This coalition works in the US for "complete streets." The streets of our cities and towns are an important part of the livability of our communities. They ought to be for everyone, whether young or old, motorist or bicyclist, walker or wheelchair user, bus rider or shopkeeper. Now, in communities across the country, a movement is growing to complete the streets. States, cities and towns are asking their planners and engineers to build road networks that are safer, more livable, and welcoming to everyone. |
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| June 8, 2010 |
The AgrAbility ProjectAccessibility The AgrAbility Project was created to assist people with disabilities employed in agriculture. |
