When Disability Comes to Church

I found this post over at the blog Hurt by the Church? which contains the personal experiences of a family member whose church isolated her parents in reaction to her father's dementia. In a soul searching post, the author discusses how this experience led to many realizations.

I used to think it took sacrifice and benevolence of heroic proportions to show significant acts of kindness toward others. These days I can say that an others-oriented lifestyle comes much more naturally when my heart is *really* in the right place… I thought I was dedicated to God all along, but one look at my self-focused and self-indulgent lifestyle should have given me a clue to the contrary. As Jesus Christ said, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:16)

Scripture spells out the true Christian lifestyle in all the clarity we will ever need. But as my life shows (and I know I’m not the only one), our selfishness is capable of constructing the most creative (not to mention deceptively subtle) song and dance around the Bible’s painfully obvious instructions of how to love our neighbours.

To read more about the author's experiences with her congregation, go here.

The post also includes an excellent book list on the topic of disability in church communities, one of the best I've run across. The topics include mental health issues, advocacy in church settings, hospitality and more.

Columbia students making a change

When a new service for credit program was begun at Columbia, those in charge said they were surprised that students didn't join to get better jobs or improve their skills. 500 engineering students will volunteer in Harlem and earn academic credit at the same time.Many said they wanted to make a change.

It is that desire that the engineering department is trying to tap into — while also opening students’ eyes to the ways that engineering plays a critical role in daily life.

“It was one of the main reasons I came into the program,” said Jonathan Bell, a 20-year-old junior majoring in engineering.

During his sophomore year, Mr. Bell belonged to a team that worked on making Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem more accessible for the disabled.

A swing they developed to be used by people in wheelchairs was so successful that the school is looking into getting it patented and manufactured. via nytimes.com

Columbia students are involved in other projects, like building sustainable greenhouses and tutoring and working with school kids on robotics projects.

Since the school partnered with Columbia... there have been tangible results: average SAT scores have risen roughly 200 points — taking the new scoring methods into account — since Columbia students began a tutoring program called “Let’s Get Ready” five years ago.

Darfur

The Save Darfur organization has come up with a wonderful way to connect people who want to help raise awareness and work to help the people of Darfur. If you click above you can enter your zip code and find events near you that you can attend and participate in. After seeing the creative ways people are finding to have events (such as talent shows, film showings, etc.) you might want to run one yourself.

What some people do with fame

Drew Barrymore, the actress known for her many roles since ET as a child, is now an Ambassador for the World Hunger Program. She has been traveling and working with the group, which provides aid through school feeding programs. "Feeding a child at school is such a simple thing to do," she says. And she adds that she's seen what a miracle it is. "School feeding not only fills stomachs, but has a proven track record of boosting enrollment, attendance and academic performance. For just pennies a day per child, this program changes lives – and ultimately can impact the futures of poor countries around the world in a profound way,” she said.

In the above video, Drew talks about the work of WHP. I've put a link on top of this post so people can go over and check out the work this group is doing.

" It is sad that it is always the minimum that is expected of lay people. On the other hand, we get too much praise from some for performing work which is our plain duty. If we have a vocation for the work (and the joy we take in it is one of the proofs of our vocation), then we deserve no credit. Indeed we deserve censure for not having done more, and for doing what we have done so badly, given the opportunities we have had. Through the help of His friends, God has given us the means and the opportunities to be closer to the poor and the outcast and the worker than any other group in the country today. That we have not effected more with those we have reached is our fault, which we must acknowledge and recognize without discouragement. We must make a greater use of prayer."
Dorothy Day, from House of Hospitality

"No Steps to Heaven"

This is an article from 1979 dealing with issues of inclusion.

I thought it would be interesting to "dig up" some information on this issue from over the years and see what issues were being adressed, for example, prior to the American with Disabilities Act.* (*This Act does not apply to churches, although many churches have voluntarily taken steps for better and improved access.)

The author of this article, Dr. Harold Wilke, writes:

"Underlying the presence of physical barriers in churches and seminaries is a set of still-perpetuated attitudinal barriers -- primarily the following: (1) low expectations on the part of both pastors and laypeople of just what a disabled person can do; (2) a psychologically defined negation, usually unconscious, reflecting the Jamesian response of “fight or fly”; (3) simple lack of experience with handicapped persons, and consequent embarrassment; (4) biblically derived sanctions, expressing thousands of years of tradition. It is this latter factor which constitutes the most formidable obstacle to progress."

This passage from Dr. Wilke's article, although written in 1979, raises concerns that remain in churches today.

Attitudinal barriers still exist despite some of the progress made in removing some of the physical barriers. When I speak to other people with disabilities who attend church a number of them report that their inclusion is marginal , where they attend services but have not achieved inclusion in other ways, such as having opportunities to be of service. ( Some report that although churches see the need for ramps, they often overlook the needs of the blind and Deaf in terms of accommodations.)

I am fortunate that I'm in a parish where service work is emphasized and there are many opportunities to participate. I have also participated in parish life in other ways - by attending many functions and religious studies. I've seen ways in which our parish "works around" accessibility issues and addresses these issues, even when it takes some courage. When I attended a bible studies class, the deacon discussed with me any accommodations I might need so that I could fully participate. Since I cannot turn pages while reading, I benefitted from his use of an overhead projector to display written materials, for example.

Personally, I experience the unconscious and unspoken assumptions as the biggest obstacles. As the author points out, the usually unconscious negation, low expectations and lack of experience and resultant embarrassment as well as traditional sanctions, usually underpin these assumptions. The difficulty lies in the fact that bringing them out into the open requires an awareness that they still exist - and a willingness and humility to be accountable.

This is not an easy task. Nor is it one many churches will address until a parishioner with disabilities arrives on the scene or a parishioner acquires a disability. At that point, building a ramp is only the beginning of dealing with inclusion issues. It is the tip of the iceberg.

Hire John Trowbridge!

Who is John Trowbridge?

He's the guy who is the "ball dropper" for the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration.He was just on TV explaining how the whole deal works - demonstrating the technology behind his job.

However, as he pointed out, the downside of this gig is that he needs to find another job by tomorrow.

I don't know about you, but I can relate to that feeling. Sometimes I stop in the middle of what I am doing, whether it's my advocacy work, writing, peer counseling, playing wheelchair tennis, handcycling, etc. and I think to myself - what will my "job " be tomorrow?

More importantly, how should I be spending my time tomorrow? How should I discern God's will when making those choices?

I turn to prayer. I ask God frequently to "tap me on the shoulder" spiritually so that I can make better decisions. When it comes to time, I feel a sense of stewardship and realize that it has been given to me. I could be dramatic and tell you that I saw my life pass before my eyes when I had my car accident years ago - and after that realized my mortality.

But the truth is (and it's much less exciting) that the precious value of time has really been a lesson I've learned with aging. As the years go by and I experience how much of life is a circle in which we all play a small but vital part, I've learned the value of "showing up" to do my piece. This means being open to what my role is in any given situation and being willing to play it, even when it's not the lead or the role I wanted at all.

I don't know what John Trowbridge will choose to do next after he drops the ball tonight heralding the start of 2007. But whatever it is, I'll remember him fondly as a brother who shares the same day to day journey of finding his way to be useful to others.