People with disabilities speak out!

It is painful to see the church lagging behind society in its effort to fully include persons with disabilities in the life of the congregation. We have an incredible opportunity to bear witness to God’s inclusive love that ensures that all are embraced and no one is excluded. May the world see, within the Presbyterian Church, authentic relationship and outreach to those often on the margin.

It took nine hours, 100 takes and three bottles of water to complete my portion of the choir’s compact disc of Christmas music. When I was in high school I had an opportunity to record another Christmas project, but the choir director (in his finite wisdom) chose to record the album in the balcony of a church, which was inaccessible for my wheelchair. This time, however, I was on the main floor with an unobstructed view of the conductor, surrounded by my fellow tenors.  Other than walking, this was my idea of heaven! The camaraderie this undertaking brought me made the recording sessions zoom by. As you listen to the message of Christmas, remember that our Savior came to establish a world of inclusiveness.

In helping a church become more accessible it isn’t just the architectural barriers that need to be changed but also an awareness that with all older churches you have certain structures that cannot be moved or changed. There is also a strong esthetic for keeping the integrity and beauty of an old church. I found a philosophy I laughingly call, “push, push, praise.” Sometimes I felt really pushy, but with patience and persistence, I found support to make changes.

Churches must think beyond the entrance and the sanctuary when considering accessibility.  What about the chancel, choir loft, Sunday School rooms, fellowship hall, dining room, offices, meeting rooms and bathrooms? How many people have to turn down an opportunity to be a choir member, liturgist, session member, communion server, committee member, teacher or student in the Christian Education program or a participant in fellowship activities? How does inaccessibility of locations or inappropriate facilities for seating, hearing or seeing keep some from full participation in the life of the congregation? Think about it.

The church needs a healthy theology of disabilities and limitations to be taught in Sunday School and preached from pulpits. People living with disabilities experience spiritual abuse when paralyzed children are told, “Jesus is keeping your good legs in heaven and when you die, Jesus will give them back.” Abuse is experienced when people are told, “If you only prayed harder you would be healed.” The painful question, “What did I do that was so bad that God did this to me?” cannot be answered with trite responses or the simple answers, “It’s God’s will,” or “You are God’s especially chosen one to bear this burden.” The church needs to be a place of wholeness that embraces disability not as an aberration, needing to be fixed, but as a form of diversity in the family of God.

— collected by Marilyn Clark, PDC Leadership Team