Everybody belongs. Everybody serves.
Staci
Disability
Worship 
lynn
Stanley & Monica
If someone is thinking of taking their own life, it’s not a secret to keep. For Disability Week this year, we have curated resources on suicide prevention, intervention and postvention.
Fellow church members can make a critical, positive difference in the lives of stroke survivors and their loved ones when they make the effort to welcome and accept them.
Belonging to a support system provides encouragement, strength, and a feeling of acceptance. A well-run support group can do all that and much more.
These ideas give brief, clear, helpful guidance for ministering with people affected by disabilities, especially pastors, elders, deacons, and care team members.
The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was “made like his brothers and sisters in every way” (2:17, TNIV). But can almighty God truly understand human limitations, even long-term limitations we call disabilities? At advent and Christmas especially we wonder at the mystery and meaning of Christ's incarnation.
How do you recognize each other's gifts and support each other's needs while avoiding a "you're not like us" attitude? A feature story explores ways to be inclusive in worship and make room for those with or without special needs.
The author of this article, Carol Levine, had been caring for her disabled husband for 17 years when she wrote this article. She polled fellow caregivers and condensed the results to these 10 items not to say to someone who provides long-term care to a loved one.
If it is true that people are excluded from church for social- skill reasons, what changes might be instituted within the social environment that would benefit not only persons with disabilities but the larger population as well? What “social ramp” would cause more people to have access and find social acceptance?
This article by Beccy Adams touches on a variety of practical and loving ways to connect to people dealing with mental health issues including the importance of gentle curiosity and ideas like, "Relate, but don’t over-relate: Get in touch with your own mental health short comings."
Here are some great ideas from Barbara Newman to help you and/or your loved ones make your celebrations of our Lord's birth positive and enjoyable.
People who use wheelchairs are not "wheelchair bound." People aren't "bound" by wheelchairs, they "use" wheelchairs. With that out of the way, here are 10 more things not to say to people who use wheelchairs.
“Far too often, people assume a level of familiarity with former military that not only breeches proper office conduct but also invades one’s 'personal space',” says Ryan Kules. Here are nine things not to say, whether or not the veteran lives with a disability.
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.
Often when a child with a disability comes into a family, whether by birth or by adoption, the parents are not ready for the emotional, spiritual, and practical changes they must make to care for their new child well.
CIRRIE has developed a thirteen-volume monograph series, The Rehabilitation Provider's Guide to Cultures of the Foreign-Born, which provides specific information on cultural perspectives of foreign-born persons in the U.S., especially recent immigrants.
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.
With the unemployment rate of people with disabilities between 50 and 85 percent, deacons can serve people with disabilities in their congregations well by helping them find jobs. Here are some ideas from an employment specialist.
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.
The film "Like Stars on Earth" 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 children learn easily. Later, with the help of a temporary art teacher, the boy's life was changed.
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.
In these articles from Focus on the Family, Joe and Cindi Ferrini, who are parents of a child with disabilities.
Disability Concerns has partnered with Faith and Hope Ministries to produce a free, downloadable study series on mental illness. Let’s Talk! Breaking the Silence around Mental Illness in Our Communities of Faith will open conversations about this often hidden subject.
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.
Wonder how to be courteous to a person who has a disability? Here's a great start from Easter Seals.