Disability inclusion in church

[mnphysicist]

I'm finding that often, raising the issue is met with one of two responses:

- Apathy. This isn't a problem.
- But disability inclusion will cost us a fortune so we shouldn't have to do it.

This was my experience as well across a whole bunch of churches over the years. I remember when the US passed the American's With Disabilities acts to require disability accommodation, and how churches lobbied to be exempt from the law... which when the law passed, churches were exempted.

It really comes down to priorities... its mission critical to have new carpets or fancier chairs or pews, but as far as providing access to disabled folks, its too expensive, plus we don't have any disabled folks here.

But, the same folks who argued against accommodation back in the early 90's are now seniors, some disabled due to aging. Thus the tune has changed for quite a number of churches. As such, many in my area have now have ramps and elevators.

That being said, it can be a very a difficult thing, as making changes to accommodate one disability can throw a wrench into the works for someone else with a different disability.

As a bass player, I used to hear from some folks who were hearing impaired to turn it up, they wanted to feel the bass... Plus, the choir and worship team wanted to feel the bass too. But, I'd be hanging out with a fellow who had some sensory issues, and for him, having the bass loud would mean he'd have to leave. I spent some time playing with speaker positioning, as well as doing some loudness tests... and found a few sweat spots in the room where bass frequencies cancelled out a bit and others where they were louder. The same areas also served the bass frequencies coming from the organ, where upon I shared these locations. Its not perfect though... I'd still get comments about not being loud enough from the choir / worship team, but the hearing impaired guy seemed happier, as did the sensory guy.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

QUOTE="Waddler, post: 71871772, member: 356011"].....
"Just pray more. Trust in Jesus to deliver you." That's great advice, but would you tell that to a cancer patient and advise them not to seek the help of a doctor? Would you pray over them, declare them healed, and tell them not to check with their oncologist?

I've seen psychology treated as "cute," an unnecessary profession. I've seen people who have been obviously manic declare they've been healed of their mental illness. They throw away their medication, the church rejoices with them, and in one case I know of, the "healed" person killed themselves a month later.

It is absolutely vital that classes on mental illness be led by a professional. In the context of the church, that person should also have strong faith, balanced by a proper perspective of the world. We know God can and does work miracles, but ask an oncologist what happens to a cancer patient when they go into remission, and then the cancer comes back.

The patient is usually devastated, and the result may be life-threatening. Hope is a wonderful concept when applied properly, but it must be applied in truth. The meaning of "hope" as defined in the original language of Scripture is "confident expectation," not "wishful thinking."

Even if my mental problems were to go into remission, I would not consider myself cured until it was verified by a professional clinician. To do anything else would be, frankly, crazy.[/QUOTE
==============================
Just as Jesus told those who He Healed: "Go present yourself" to the one authorized to declare a disease gone - a person healed.
That is good direction.
Whenever someone is healed, and they go back to the doctor and receive verification, that is best , and in line with all Scripture.

In the church I attend it is purely a support group. Where people can talk about their experiences and gain help from others who have been through the same sort of experience.
It is not to heal mental illness, even though prayers are offered if requested, it is to support, help and encourage. I agree leadership of such a group has to be carefully chosen and supported.

In some layman's support groups, they sometimes have the most easily found people who have been healed and who then return and provide encouragement and support to those who are still struggling or living with the kind of difficulties they once had.
This is often more common than people realize, because they cannot do any advertising.

I don't think any mental health group should exist to heal mental illness. Pray for it, yes, but this should be the aim: support. It should still be led by a professional, though. Someone who can facilitate discussion, keep things calm and orderly, and give group members ideas on managing their illness. Second best would be someone with a mental illness (or close experience) whose illness is well managed.

Just managing daily life is often a struggle, and any help , true help, in that direction is often valuable.

"Churches" might help more with this , "DAILY LIFE", type support and encouragement for everyone, including anyone sick, without fanfare - simply as the daily routine, training all the members this way.....

It is so sad these days to see someone isolated, on their own, in a wheelchair, no one with them, from their residence, to the church or to a store, and
expectations in society have been seemingly 'driven' that direction (toward individual independence) , by most media and most agencies and most education and most training....

I'd rather see people learning and being trained how to be with one another and personally help each other daily.

 

[lismore]

I'll be interested to hear others' experiences!

We have a group that meets on Thursday evenings for adults with special needs, we also have training for Deacons to recognise and help people with needs (without patronizing them) at the Sunday services.
Mental health is also a big issue now, 1/3 people experience symptoms of a significant mental illness annually, we are seeking for some future training on this.


God Bless

 

[lismore]

There are a lot of people around with forms of social anxiety. I think it's important to identify and help these individuals as the church is meant to be a place where everyone can feel at home and be welcome. It would be a tragedy if some did not come to church because of anxiety, we need to do all we can to help them. God Bless

 

[JacquelineDeane55]

It seems like you guys actually know something about Autism.

Well, I actually have that. I was born with it, I cannot help it. Perhaps something went wrong in the womb when I was conceived. And yes, it is a mental disability that makes you sensitive to noise. Especially loud noises. Sometimes hearing my parents shuffling around on the floors makes me want to freak out. Because I can hear them and it irritates me.

 

[Paidiske]

If I can ask, Jacqueline, what do you find helpful to you in making church a place where you can worship comfortably?

 

[Junia]

I've witnessed that more than once. Mark 11:23 is the verse they quote to say people with disabilities lack faith and could be cured if they just prayed with faith and believed God would cure them.



I've witnessed someone with Asperger's syndrome being told they were a child of Satan and no longer welcome in their congregation. If someone had been severely disabled I could see them telling that person they were demon possessed. These judgmental and hateful attitudes are why I stopped going to church.

yes that has happened to me sadly. severe psychiatric issues. i wss caled a jezebel and pushed out of one church, and in my own christian family i had a lot of abuse for being in sin for being sick. also picked on for having M.E. an dtold i was just lazy and should work or else.... it breaks my heart that this hapens to so many others too.

church should be a safe palce should it not?

 

[Junia]

do they want to serve:

the man on the mat

the man on the side of the road

the woman at the well

the woman who touched his garment

its about reaching out to all people

where they are at


quite a lot of pastors and church personnel I've encountered don't want to

so I ask: why did they become shepherds?

exactly!!!

 

[Junia]

I don't think any mental health group should exist to heal mental illness. Pray for it, yes, but this should be the aim: support.

It should still be led by a professional, though. Someone who can facilitate discussion, keep things calm and orderly, and give group members ideas on managing their illness. Second best would be someone with a mental illness (or close experience) whose illness is well managed.

amen and churches need to stop this doctrine that it is sinful to offer or receive psychotherapy or medication.

 

[Bob Crowley]

This is an old thread, so I don't know if it's worth adding to it, but here goes.

Does your church talk about disability inclusion? Does it do it well? If someone turned up at your church who was

- in a wheelchair
- deaf
- intellectually disabled
- with significant mental illness,

I'm hard of hearing myself, so I suppose I qualify as having a "disability". But I wear a hearing aid, so I get away with it most of the time. Socialising is probably the hardest part.

The categories above are all distinct, although it's possible someone may fall into one or more of them eg. deaf and intellectually disabled. We don't talk about it as a parish, although it may come up from time to time on the parish council's agenda, but since I'm not on the council, I wouldn't know.

In the case of a wheelchair, the main problem is access (as far as I know) including getting into and out of the toilets. We've got 3 churches in our (Catholic) parish, and while I think there are ramps to all three churches, and they are accessible, I wouldn't like to get into the toilets in a wheelchair. But unless someone is going to stump up a bucket load of money I can't see that happening any time soon. The parish struggles financially as it is.

Deaf people need a sign language translator, which is a specialised skill. Years ago I thought of getting involved in a deaf ministry at another church (during my formative Protestant years), but the pastor pointed out that if you're going to work with the deaf for example, you need to be either like them (ie. profoundly deaf) or fully hearing. I was half and half, and sort of in the middle, so it really wasn't my bag. Unless there is someone who can do sign language, or is willing to learn sign language, it would probably be easier to set up one or two particular churches in your denomination for deaf ministry, rather than trying to get everybody involved, as it just won't happen. I know there is one Catholic Church on the north side of Brisbane for example which has a sign language translator for some masses at least.

Hard of hearing people can be helped with a magnetic induction loop (supposedly - I've never felt that they're very effective). They can also help themselves by sitting close to the speakers, which is one of the things I do (even then I can have trouble hearing sometimes) and possibly ask if a headphones system can be installed. But they will always find it difficult to socialise as that's just the way it is. I can hear but I tend to rely on lip reading as a backup. If the lights go out, I may as well pack up and go home.

I'm not so sure what to do with intellectually disabled people, but it helps if they or a responsible parent or carer lets the priest and others know, so people are aware of it. It's often a case of just accepting them as they are, and do what you can.

A similar comment can be made for people with mental illness. It's helps to know, so that "odd" behaviour is explicable. In the Presbyterian church I attended years ago, we had a handful of people with schizophrenia attend from time to time. They lived in a hostel near by. It could be a bit difficult sometimes, but we got by. The pastor told me that one night, very late, one of them turned up and said he had a very important message for Prince Charles and needed to talk to him urgently. The pastor played along with him, but said that the Prince would probably be asleep and that he would be unlikely to get past the secretary. He suggested they call the Prince in the morning. Eventually he got him to go back to the hostel and go to sleep. By the next morning he'd forgotten about it.

It's a case of accepting them as they are, but it helps the priest / pastor and congregation to know about these issues, so they're not taken by surprise.

 

[Paidiske]

Bob, local councils often offer grants for modifying buildings for accessibility. You may find that one possible source for a bucket of money.