By now, you may have heard statements from a certain government official stating that people with autism will never pay taxes, never go on a date, never write a poem, and never play baseball. Let’s establish right now that his statements are, at the very least, harmfully inaccurate.
The purpose of this article is not so much to refute his rhetoric with facts, but to provide resources for YOUR church to engage in building relationships with those impacted by disability in your community. By connecting with real people in the disability community who pay taxes, go on dates, write poems, and play baseball, you’ll have irrefutable evidence that God’s kingdom is intended not for the special, perfect few but for all created in His image, the Imago Dei.
Many school districts support programs for young adults developing independent living skills, such as managing public transportation, using home appliances safely, budgeting, grocery shopping, job skills and more. Contact your local school district and consider raising funds or in-kind donations of needed items such as transit passes, working home appliances, and clothing suitable for job interviews. Consider encouraging Independent Living Skills
Staff with a card and a gift card to your local coffee shop.
Similarly, there may be group homes in your area supporting individuals with a variety of disabilities and a variety of ages, many of whom are employed in the community. Invite group home residents and staff to a movie or game night at your church, or host a BBQ at a local park with games and other activities that promote connection and conversation. Speak with group home staff to determine what activities and venue may be most appropriate.
Assess your shopping habits and note which businesses promote the hiring of individuals with disabilities. Become a regular patron at these businesses and make a point to interact with staff as you shop.
Special Olympics may be the most recognizable non profit supporting those with disabilities to access recreation opportunities. Special Olympics provides opportunities for children and adults with disabilities to participate in a myriad of individual and team sports at facilities around the country. Volunteer to coach a team during the season or volunteer at the Special Olympics Games in your town or region.
Little League Challenger Baseball provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities ages 4-22 to participate on a Little League Baseball team with trained buddies and coaches. In many leagues, Challenger teams participate in Little League Opening Day and other league wide events and compete against other local Challenger teams. Everybody gets to hit! Volunteer to be a coach or a buddy, no baseball expertise needed.
Make yourself familiar with after school programs and education support organizations in your community. Volunteer as a tutor for students in a variety of subjects or reach out to the program directors to ask if your church could help support a community event or provide cards and other tokens of encouragement to volunteers.
Visit your local bookstore or library and discover books authored by writers with disabilities in a variety of genres. Research the contributions of individuals such as Temple Grandin to disability education and academia.
Ability Ministry’s free-to-access podcast Start With Hello can assist you and your congregation in getting the conversation about disability started. Maybe you’ve been thinking about inviting that family with a child with a disability to your church, but haven’t yet found a way to do it. Maybe your church is hoping to start a buddy ministry or weekend respite, but isn’t sure where to begin. Maybe you’re wanting to connect with that young adult in your congregation with Down Syndrome, or Autism, or Cerebral Palsy, but you fear coming across as awkward and ignorant. Start With Hello is a treasure trove of resources curated by seasoned disability ministry veterans (as well as those with disabilities) that can be accessed with a single click. I invite you to peruse our resource offerings and request a free ministry consult to connect with an Ability Ministry consultant ready and willing to assist you in helping make your church accessible and welcoming to individuals with disabilities.
This is nowhere near an exhaustive list of resources, as offerings can vary from state to state and community to community. Allow this list to become a springboard for discovering how you and your church can connect to those with disabilities and recognize their created identity of the Imago Dei.
No matter what politicians say.
