Down Syndrome: Books for parents and educators Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected by Kelle Hampton Babies with Down Syndrome: A New Parents' Guide by Susan J. Skallerup Bringing Your Baby with Down Syndrome Home: A Guide to the First Month by Jeannie Visootsak and Deslie Quinby Down Syndrome Parenting 101 Must-Have Advice for Making… Continue reading Resources
Pulling someone up
Attitude Check-up What first comes to mind when you consider welcoming people with disabilities to your faith community? Designated parking spaces for people with limited mobility? A clear access ramp? Having greeters at the door to open and hold the door when people with assistive devices come in? Space in your sanctuary for people with… Continue reading More than a Ramp
A Church that Disables Is a Disabled Church "If a family with a member with intellectual disability, physical challenges, developmental delay, or communication difficulties visits our church, will they feel welcome?" What do churches think? According to a survey conducted by Nashville-based Lifeway Research, in America, nearly every Protestant pastor (99%) and churchgoer (97%) believe… Continue reading Church Disabling or Church Disabled?
Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. (Romans 15:7) In a journal article, Scott Landes recounts his conversation with a father who has a son with a developmental disability: I talked with a father last week about his son, Brian. Brian just turned nine and is enjoying the… Continue reading Where Are You, Church?
What comes to your mind when hearing the word etiquette? You may picture a banquet, a ceremony, or a royal dance in your mind. You may relate the word to a set of rules you must follow to behave yourself in formal settings. Though the word etiquette may seem formal, it just means basic manners… Continue reading Disability Etiquettes
Ableism: Ableism is beliefs, practices, and attitudes that discriminate and prejudice against people with disabilities or perceived to be disabled. Access: The ability or freedom to approach or communicate with a person, use or occupy space, obtain services or products, or participate in an activity. Access barriers: Any obstruction that prevents people with disabilities from… Continue reading Glossary of Disability-Related Terms
This Post Is Adapted from the Author's Doctorate Dissertation, Effective Disability Ministry Practices at Local Church, pp. 22-24, 63-64. Inclusion has become a buzzword in recent years. Many people associate the word with education or disability rights. We can see the word in school administrative guidelines, church mission statements, business policy manuals, political speeches, even… Continue reading What Does Inclusion Mean for Christians?
To create access, we first need to break down the barriers. Check out the blog post on Common Disability Barriers. To make accessibility a reality, we must remove the hindrances preventing us from getting there. Do you know people living with disabilities experience the world in a vastly different way from the way people without… Continue reading Creating Access
Common Disability Barriers Is your building accessible to people using wheelchairs? Is your program or service designed with people affected by disabilities in mind? Is your organization's culture open and welcoming? Is your communication clear and easy to understand for people with different abilities? Barriers We can get so used to a word that we… Continue reading Are You Pushing People Away from Community?
