Faith Ability Religion and Disability News

I just came across the website of John M. Hull and found a wealth thoughts on religion, spirituality and the overlap of the two. I especially enjoyed the link to his writings on Blindness and disability where you can find essays with the following titles: A Spirituality of Disability, Blindness and the Face of God and Open Letter from a Blind Disciple to a Sighted Savior. Not only has he written some great stuff, but he's put a lot of it online for our reading pleasure- enjoy.

Publisher: The Haworth Pastoral Press
Editors: William C. Gaventa, Jr., MDiv, David L. Coulter, MD
Format: Book, 182 pp.

Spirituality and Intellectual Disability: International Perspectives on the Effect of Culture and Religion on Healing Body, Mind , and Soul was co-published as an issue of the Journal of Religion, Disability & Health (Volume 5, Numbers 2/3 2001). It includes "a collection of articles on spirituality, religion, and people with intellectual disabilities which came from presentations at the 2000 Conference of the the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities" (IASSID).

The book contains a wide variety of articles addressing numerous topics from a variety of faith traditions. The articles are divided into four categories:

1. Healing Mind, Body, and Soul: Theoretical Foundations for Understandings of Spiritual Health for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
2. Spirituality and Intellectual Disability Around the World: Cultural and Religious Perspectives on Healing Mind, Body, and Soul.
3. Bringing Science into Spirituality: Research and Practice.
4. From Theory and Theology to Practice: Creative Ways of Facilitating Spiritual Health.

Examples of some of the articles include:
Defining and Assessing Spirituality and Spiritual Supports: A Rationale for Inclusion in Theory and Practice, Islam and the Person with Intellectual Disability, Spiritual Health and Persons with Intellectual Disability: A Review, and Bridge Ministries for Disability Concerns: A Community Ministry Model.

The breadth of subject areas covered in the articles help the reader to gain a better understanding of the many ways in which disability and intellectual disability intersect across religions and cultures.

Link to Spirituality and Intellectual Disability at Amazon.com

I had a very limited knowledge of Corrie ten Boom until reading the Hiding Place the last couple of weeks and was pleasantly surprised to learn that she was involved in her own disability ministry. Consider this exchange (in her own words) of a conversation in a Nazi prison camp:

"Your other activities, Miss ten Boom. What would you like to tell me about them?"
"Other activities? Oh, you mean- you want to know about my church for mentally retarded people!" and I plunged into an eager account of my efforts at preaching to the feeble-minded.
The lieutenant's eyebrows rose higher and higher. "What a waste of time and energy!" he exploded at last. "If you want converts, surely one normal person is worth all the half-wits in the world!"
I stared into the man's intelligent blue-gray eyes: true National-Socialist philosophy I thought, tulip bed or no. And then to my astonishment I heard my own voice saying boldy, "May I tell you the truth, Lieutentant Rahms?"
"This hearing, Miss ten Boom, is predicated on the assumpition that you will do me that honor."
"The truth , Sir," I said, swallowing, "is that God's viewpoint is sometimes different from ours- so different that we could not even guess at it unless He had given us a Book which tells us such things."
I knew it was madness to talk this way to a Nazi officer. But he said nothing so I plunged ahead. "In the Bible I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains but simply because He has made us. Who knows, in His eyes a half-wit may be worth more than a watchmaker. Or- a lieutenant."

Thank goodness there have always been good people in the world.

This recently came across a listserv in case any one is interested...

Position: Chaplain and Director of Chaplaincy Department
Location: Denton State School
3980 State School Road (P.O. Box 368, 76202)
Denton, TX

Salary Range: $32,988-37,322 plus state employee benefits package

Setting: Denton State School is a residential facility for 650 adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. It is located on 200 acres on the south side of Denton, Texas, north of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. Denton State School is part of the Department of Aging and Disability Services for the State of Texas.

Responsibilities: The Chaplain directs the operations of Chaplaincy and Music Therapy Departments and directly supervises one board certified music therapist. The Chaplian provides for the spiritual care of residents at the facility, including conducting worship services, planning and conducting religious education activities, providing counseling to residents, staff, and families as needed, and conducting funerals, memorials and other special services. He/She coordinates and implements activities to meet the spiritual and religious needs of persons of various facith groups (e.g., Jewish and Catholic); recruits, trains and supervises volunteers for chapel programs in coordination with the Community Relations/Volunteer Services Department. The Chaplain works with local community organizations and congregations to provide information concerning facility programs and the spiritual/religious needs of people living at the state school.

Requirements: Bachelor's degree plus Master of Divinity or other degree acceptable to denominational or faith group; four quarters of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE); ordination and ecclesiastical endorsement by the denomination or faith group the Chaplain represents.

Preferred qualifications: Certification by one of the following: Assoc. of Professional Chaplains; American Assoc. of Pastoral Counselors or other recognized organization; experience in ministry with people with developmental disabilities.

For additional information contact:
Eileen Short, Director
Consumer & Family Relations Department
Denton State School
P.O. Box 368
Denton, TX 76202-0368 Eileen.short @dads.state.tx.us
http://jobs.hhsc.state.tx.us and click on "Search for Jobs)"
or
Dennis D. Schurter, D.Min.BCC
Chaplain, Denton State School
Denton, TX 76202
940-591-3663
dennis.schurter@dads.state.tx.us