Everybody belongs. Everybody serves.
Disability
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Meet Phillip, a member of Chelwood CRC. He was recently ordained as a deacon in his church. He has shared his unique gifts that God has given him for many years at his church. What a blessing!
The Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition has helpful resources for congregations to expand employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
This short litany, which can be read in unison, affirms that each member of the community is valued and loved.
According to a new study, hiring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is good for business. Yet 85% of those are unemployed. HuffPost Live looks at a new initiative that aims to change this.
Mark Wafer grew up with a hearing impairment, so he knows disability from the inside. When he began purchasing Tim Hortons franchises, he decided that he would hire people whom he believed would work well, whether or not they had a disability.
What barriers of architecture, communication, and attitude are keeping people with various disabilities from coming or getting involved in your church? This tool from Disabilty Concerns will help you identify these barriers and give ideas for overcoming them.
Last week I asked why we tend to limit our idea of diversity in church to ethnic diversity. Like one reader responded to the question last week, diversity of ability falls outside of most people's thinking because most people don't want people with disabilities included in their activities.
When we envision the diverse church, in our minds' eye, we see a diversity of skin colors, foods, ethnic identities, and languages. Usually, we also see we see the young and the old, male and female. But in our vision of the diverse church, we rarely see a boy who uses a wheelchair, woman who lives with mental illness, a girl with Down Syndrome, a man who is blind, or a woman who is Deaf and uses sign language. Why?
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.
Together, we create disability. Once we recognize and admit to our participation in other people’s disability, we can begin to remove the barriers to participation that we have erected.