Spring 2022 │ Young Adults with Disabilities
About 1 in 8 people ages 15–30 lives with a disability. In this issue, several young adults with disabilities, ranging from tumors and limb differences to processing disorders and lupus, tell their stories of what it has been like for them.
NOTE: This article links you to all our individual Breaking Barriers Spring 2022 articles.
Editor’s Note: Celebrating Our Gifts
By Lindsay Wieland Capel
Director of CRC Disability Concerns
Lindsay’s friend Doug has a deep faith in God and lives with cerebral palsy. Lindsay challenges us to celebrate the gifts that each person brings to our community and hold each other up when life is challenging.
Differences, but “Perfectly Imperfect”
By Irina Bird
Chapel Pointe, Hudsonville, MI
Irina lives with Phocomelia syndrome, which causes limbs to be malformed. Although to others she may appear imperfect, Irina knows she is perfect in God’s eyes.
Connecting Diagnosis and Faith
By Anne Elzinga
Central Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, MI
Anne lives with lupus, an invisible disability that has required her to set limits on her life and practice self-care. This diagnosis also helps her reflect on the theology of disability and connect more deeply with her faith in God.
By Wesley Sullivant
The Reformed Church of Kinnelon, Kinnelon, NJ
Wesley has an information processing disorder, weak muscle tone, depression, and anxiety. For many years Wesley felt broken, but he now views his disabilities as unique qualities that can help others learn and grow in their own journeys.
Susan Geelhoed
Sherman Street CRC, Grand Rapids, MI
Susie was born with neurofibromatosis (NF). While this diagnosis contributes to a number of physical challenges, it does not take away from Susie’s love of music and sports.
Next Issues:
Summer 2022—Acquired Disability
Most people with disabilities remember a time when they did not have their disability. How has your disability—acquired through stroke, accident, illness, aging—affected you, your relationships, your work, your spiritual life? What have you lost, and what have you gained? Please tell us a story (up to 400 words) about your acquired disability by June 15, 2022.
Fall 2022—“Too Disabled”
Many people with disabilities have gotten the message from others that their disability is too limiting, making them unfit or incapable to do something—even before getting the opportunity to prove otherwise. If you’ve ever been told or gotten the impression you were considered “too disabled” for a task, role, or job you wanted to take on, and knew you possessed the needed qualifications, please tell us your story (up to 400 words) by August 1, 2022.
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You can find this issue in a variety of alternative formats (print-friendly layout, large print, audio) attached below.
In addition, find back issues of Breaking Barriers and editions in español and in 한국어 (plus a link for electronic subscriptions) at either the CRC website (www.crcna.org/disability) or RCA website (www.rca.org/disability).
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