Challenges Faced By Persons With Disabilities In The Church

The Importance of Accessibility and Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities in the Church.

I felt the cool drops of water fall on my forehead. Looking upward, I noticed beings hovering over me. My eyes were opened. I was a year old. It was then I knew that I existed. I remember that telling moment. I was ageless and genderless. I just knew that I was; but knew not what I was, only that I existed. I was being baptized.

Observing long-forgotten photographs, I appeared like such a joyful child. My father, protective and my mother, compassionate. We looked like a happy family. I loved my Grandpa Argay; he was the best. He told me, “Always do what is right,” he continuously referred to “The Little Train That Could.” I would sit with him every Sunday and he asked me to say, “I think I can, I think I can.” My grandmother was an astute woman. She taught me how to dress and properly present myself. They wanted me to attend Penn State when I graduated from a girl’s preparatory school. Every weekend the Grammy asked me to spell the word “knowledge.”

Those were the first seven years of my life; then it all fell apart. My mother and father divorced, and my life became confusing. My father distanced himself and my mother decided to stay single after the separation. I chose to live with my mother. A few years later, she decided to join a sect of Christianity and give her life to Jesus.

Although I was young, I knew my mother was a very sad woman. She turned to alcohol and prescription pills all while never resolving her deeper issues. She would hit me with hangers and tell me I would be the bride of Satan when she was in her drunken stupor. Growing up my experience with religion was a harmful one.

Despite experiencing significant traumas throughout my life, the memory of my Catholic baptism has always remained with me. Today, I am legally disabled, having been diagnosed with several syndromes at the age of thirty-three, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I’ve struggled with periodic paralysis and chronic pain for years, and I can only assume that my disabilities are a result of the traumas I endured.

Twenty-five years ago, I suffered a breakdown while engaged to a man whose family had connections to the president of the United States in the 1980s. Unbeknownst to me at the time, he and his once-elite family were involved in the occult. This emotionally abusive experience nearly destroyed me, as he frequently used fear tactics to break me down.

There were times when I was so terrified that I lost control of my bodily functions and felt like I was having a heart attack. The pain was so intense that it felt like a heavy weight was crushing my chest. My breakdown triggered severe PTSD, which crippled me both mentally and physically.

In the years since it’s been an ongoing struggle. In 2013, I pursued a master’s degree in pastoral studies at a seminary, with a focus on the experiences of individuals with disabilities within the church. I hoped to find insights about my mother. This journey has unveiled many eye-opening revelations about the world around me. Specifically, I’ve uncovered the lack of flexibility, empathy, and recognition of the rights of people with disabilities.

“Samuel Kabue, a blind theologian from Africa, has extensively explored the topic of disabilities, particularly in the workplace and within the church. He emphasizes the importance of churches providing spiritual care and support to individuals with disabilities, rather than focusing solely on their disabilities. According to Kabue, the church has a crucial role in fostering positive relationships with the disabled community. As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being is paramount. We need to care for one another and the environment we call home.”

Here are a few suggested strategies for the clergy and the church to enhance their inclusivity for people with disabilities.

Clergy can incorporate sermons that resonate with people with disabilities, such as consistently including them in preaching.
Improving accessibility for wheelchairs, providing sign language interpreters, and materials for persons who read braille in parishes and other houses of prayer.
Churches have access to materials and tools for people with disabilities, but it’s ultimately the responsibility of each parish and place of worship to decide how to incorporate and prioritize these resources within their community
It’s important to acknowledge professional parishioners who can offer professional services to support individuals with disabilities.
The church can provide training to non-professional staff to educate them about advocating for individuals with disabilities. This training could include information about laws, regulations, and compliance related to people with disabilities.
The church serves as a reflection of Jesus Christ, and we must follow his example by showing kindness and respect to all of God’s children. It is crucial to implement various measures that can help individuals with disabilities to engage socially and spiritually within the church fully. Every person, regardless of ability, holds equal significance within the church community.