Special Needs

Home / Justice Issues Feed / Special Needs

a life filled with "almost friends"

That is the phrase one of my students in the California Baptist University’s Disability Studies MA program, Jennifer Baca, used to describe to too often experience of people with disabilities. It is a powerful phrase, that is damning in its implications. Many people who experience disability have lives filled with people who are nice, perhaps because they are paid to …

The Bible and people with severe intellectual impairments

“Should we teach the Bible to those with severe cognitive disabilities?” is a question that was asked in a weblog entitled “The Works of God.” I really appreciate this blog raising this question not because it necessarily is a question in my mind, but because it is the question in too many pastor’s minds (assuming the question is even considerd). …

Underestimating others

I had an interesting experience yesterday in our Light and Power class. I was sitting with a friend, perhaps the most severely impaired member of our group. He would be considered as having a severe intellectual disability as he is largely nonverbal mostly just sitting, occasionally stating single words like “presents” or “pizza” or something similar. It would be easy …

Pastor of "Disability ministry"

Part 1: What would be the role of a full time pastor of disability ministry? A major part of the job would be to change the environment around individuals with disabilities, in other words, the church. The starting point might be to create a place where people are included, however, the goal would be to remove exclusion from existing programs …

Providing what is needed

I heard a story recently about an interaction a man had with his son. His son experienced many disabilities including autism and epilepsy. One day as they were driving together, the son who is quite bright said to his father, “I wish you could understand what is going on inside of me, inside of my head.”The father’s interest was piqued. …

Weird glasses people

About 5 years ago, I wrote a blog entry that demonstrated an interaction between a person who wears glasses and one who does not, illustrating the manner in which people exeriencing disabilities are often treated. http://disabledchristianity.blogspot.com/2008/01/conversation-with-man-with-glasses.html A friend from Australia, Lindsay Gale, who works for the Luke 14 project there, told me how they had been using the dialogue in …