I have been involved in Disability Ministry for a very long time and have a disability as well, in the area of mental health. I have advocated for disabilities specifically in this area and have been extremely disappointed by the response of the Christian community in specifically this area. Church Advocates seemingly are not equipped to make an impact on the Christian community to really reach out and do what is needed to provide the necessary supports. Mental health in the Christian community is still very much a stigma and there is a real, seemingly lack of willingness to change. It requires a lot of work which tends to create more barriers. The AODA which is supposed to help those of us with disabilities is not being taken seriously, thus creating the continued barriers. We continue to lose out.
I continue to think that Disability Concerns can better equip the churches especially in the mental health area. The churches desperately need to know what and how to minister in this specific area.
The churches are really good at removing barriers re physical accessibility, sound loops etc. But the barriers and stigma surrounding mental health remains huge. There is much work to be done. I have yet to see the willingness.
I wish that I could have the same result that you talk about in this article. I am thankful for the medication and psychiatrist that stabilize me. But, I have had the opposite experience that you are thankful for. I struggle with the inability to have more grace and empathy for others in God's family. I am actually experiencing less as I age. And, that bothers me deeply. Harold Struyk.
Posted in: Disability Concerns. What's That About?
I have been involved in Disability Ministry for a very long time and have a disability as well, in the area of mental health. I have advocated for disabilities specifically in this area and have been extremely disappointed by the response of the Christian community in specifically this area. Church Advocates seemingly are not equipped to make an impact on the Christian community to really reach out and do what is needed to provide the necessary supports. Mental health in the Christian community is still very much a stigma and there is a real, seemingly lack of willingness to change. It requires a lot of work which tends to create more barriers. The AODA which is supposed to help those of us with disabilities is not being taken seriously, thus creating the continued barriers. We continue to lose out.
I continue to think that Disability Concerns can better equip the churches especially in the mental health area. The churches desperately need to know what and how to minister in this specific area.
The churches are really good at removing barriers re physical accessibility, sound loops etc. But the barriers and stigma surrounding mental health remains huge. There is much work to be done. I have yet to see the willingness.
Posted in: My Reluctant Dependency and Growing Empathy
I wish that I could have the same result that you talk about in this article. I am thankful for the medication and psychiatrist that stabilize me. But, I have had the opposite experience that you are thankful for. I struggle with the inability to have more grace and empathy for others in God's family. I am actually experiencing less as I age. And, that bothers me deeply. Harold Struyk.