Here you'll find resources posted by individuals, churches, and ministries. Add comments, give a 'thumbs up', or post your own. Can't find something? Use the chat box to let us know.
This checklist is designed to be a mirror showing you where your congregation is today and a window to see where you might go in the future.
The creator of Sibshops, Don Meyer, has started a website for grandparents of kids with special needs.
The CVS Caremark All Kids Can™ program is committed to making life easier for children with disabilities. Through this signature program, CVS supports nonprofit organizations that provide innovative programs and services focused on helping children with disabilities learn, play and succeed in life.
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?
Finding resources in a rural setting for people with mental illnesses can be especially challenging. The U.S. based National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) is a professional organization that serves the field of rural mental health.
Medline Plus, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, provides solid medical information about various disabilities including mental illnesses.
This website has a calculator to help people receiving public disability benefits determine how their income, benefits, and health coverage could be affected if they go to work. This calculator works only for people living in Michigan.
This is an outstanding article on ministry with people with mental illnesses written by a woman whose mother has schizophrenia with solid facts on mental illness and churches.
ADNet has collected a number of articles into one page on this very important topic for ministry. The introduction to the page says, "Setting healthy boundaries enables us to persist in sharing Christ's love through difficult circumstances.
Parade Magazine's article, "Unlocking the Silent Prison" describes research that has shown that people with dementia find written communication much more useful/memorable than spoken communication.
In this touching and warm story, Chris Gabbard, an English professor at the University of North Florida, reflects on life with his son, August, who lives with multiple impairments.
This journal from the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota tackles a challenging topic. Articles are not necessarily presented from a Christian perspective; please read with discernment.
In these articles from Focus on the Family, Joe and Cindi Ferrini, who are parents of a child with disabilities.
This Focus on the Family article series describes itself like this: "Amid these stories from other parents, you'll find tips and tools in the areas of schooling, church, balancing the needs of your disabled child and the needs of your other children, coping when your circumstances have become too hard and encouragement in developing friendships."
This set of questions and answers give the current understanding of Asperger Syndrome from the National Institutes of Health (U.S.) The page includes links to other organizations as well.
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.
People with disabilities tend to be highly creative, since they have to find workarounds to do things that cannot be done the way most people do them. A kludge is a workaround using adaptive equipment or household items so that people can do what they want to do.
Wondering what sort of language is appropriate when referring to people with disabilities? This resource lists a host of articles on disability and language on a website founded by disability advocate Kathie Snow.
Wonder how to be courteous to a person who has a disability? Here's a great start from Easter Seals.
Shalem offers individual, couple, and family counseling from a Christian perspective and equips and supports communities, including faith communities, to better embrace the needs of people who struggle with emotional distress and/or mental illness.
An Orlando-based, non-profit organization that seeks to bring hope to kids with special needs and their families by providing resources and respite care. They also help equip local churches to be involved in special needs ministry.
Pathways to Promise is an interfaith technical assistance and resource center which offers liturgical and educational materials, program models, and networking information to promote a caring ministry with people with mental illnesses and their families.
Founded by Joni Eareckson Tada, Joni and Friends exists to communicate the gospel and equip Christ-honoring churches worldwide to evangelize and disciple people affected by disability.
Rachel Miller Jacobs writes about the book, "Lee makes the important point that while churches are generally good at providing help in crises, most congregations struggle with the long-term reality of children with special needs, since caring for them requires cultural and systematic transformation rather than three weeks’ worth of casseroles.
This is a two-page fact sheet that gives suggestions to people with disabilities and their families in finding an inclusive place to worship, and in making good use of all the resources that may be available there.