In December of 2004, a radio program on L'Arche was on the Speaking of Faith.
The program highlights a L'Arche program in Clinton, Iowa. A link to the audio as well as excerpts from the program are in the link above.
Think how you would feel if you were very spiritual and you couldn't go to a church; you couldn't take communion; you couldn't sing; you couldn't be a part of that...
The notion that religious congregations are welcoming to people with disabilities seems so obvious, so natural. Surprisingly, a warm reception is not always the case.
The article has a number of examples of how persons with disabilities either were or weren't accepted in their congregations.
"I never thought I'd see (St. Joseph) Cathedral as accessible as it is now," she (Vicki Nisich) says. But more important is the gradual change in attitude. People are realizing that people with disabilities have gifts and strengths they can share with the church community and make it more fully alive, Nisich says.
"I would hope the church, of all places, would be the first place that would welcome a person with a disability," she says.
Tonight I entered the 100th site into the Religion, Spirituality and Disability Directory here at Faithability- and I feel like we're just getting started. Thank you to all of you who have submitted sites, hopefully there is something there for anyone who is looking for more information on a specific topic. If you know of any resources that aren't listed yet, please stop by to add them or drop me a note, Thank you!
In everything we do we share our gifts," said Dolores Wilson, a former nun who helped launch the District chapter 20 years ago and who served as a facilitator at last month's dinner at the house in Northeast. "We are sick of labels. We are friends. We are a community.
Equal Access to God is a great article about the efforts of Susan Psalmonds who has founded a nondenominational ministry designed to "to help church leaders, as well as civic and business leaders, better incorporate people with disabilities into their organizations."
Susan gives a good overview of some of the difficulties that persons with disabilities may face in their local congregation. The article concludes with this statement:
"There's no law telling [churches] that they have to do this," she said, "but in my opinion they should be living a higher law. Just look at Christ's ministry and who he served."
Rayne Ministries provides disability resources for churches
By Sue Sailhamer
CHRISTIAN EXAMINER
Marvin and Teresa Miller have a big dream for their little daughter. They hope that someday she will be welcomed as a full participant in her local church and have an opportunity to serve others in her community of faith. Their daughter, two-and-a-half-year-old Lillian Rayne Miller, has Downs Syndrome.
Harriet Wiegel passed me this story of what looks to be a great event about awareness of the inclusion of persons with disabilities in religion organizaions and I wanted to pass it on. The article is available online (registration required). For those of you who don't want to register, here is an excerpt from the article:
The nondenominational event focuses on unity in faith, honors people with disabilities and their advocates, and encourages churches to include those with disabilities in outreach and ministry plans.
This article is from the Boston Globe published earlier this year tells of a young man with Down syndrome who became a Bar Mitzvah and discusses some of the challenges that persons with disabilities face in religious organizations.From the article...
Despite the 14 years since the Americans With Disabilities Act became law, there remains a sizable religious participation gap in the United States. Experts estimate about half of the country's religious buildings, which are not subject to ADA requirements, are still not handicapped accessible. According to a 2002 survey conducted by the National Organization of Disability, 47 percent of Americans with disabilities attend religious services at least once per month, compared with 65 percent of those without disabilities.
