Calvin Institute of Christian Worship - Persons with Disabilities

Persons with Disabilities
All people are created in God's image for the purpose of glorifying him and are united through baptism into Christ's body. Therefore, our places of worship and our worship itself ought to be accessible to, and inclusive of, all people, including those with disabilities. The resources listed offer guidance in striving for this goal.

Articles
Making Worship Accessible for Persons with Disabilities
Kathleen M. Black
Making our worship hospitable to persons with various disabilities. Basic, practical suggestions using four categories of worship access.
Local Church Accessibility Survey (Center on Aging and Older Adult Ministries)
Is your church accessible and open to all people?
How Can Our Worship Services Be More Welcoming to People with Disabilities? (ELCA)
Focuses on buildings and the experience
Disability Etiquette Tips (National Organization on Disability)
How to's for communicating
Kinesthetic Prayer: An Example with the "Prayer for the Holy Spirit's Illumination"
a resource from Friendship Ministries (www.friendship.org)
How Welcoming Is Your Congregation? (National Organization on Disability)
Assess your congregational environment
Let Them Hear: Why Not Get Your Church Looped? (Reformed Worship)
David G. Myers
Most parishioners with hearing loss choose not to suffer the hassle and embarrassment of special receivers and headsets. Happily, there's a better alternative–the broadcast of personalized sound directly through hearing aids.
How Accessible Is Your Church? (The Christian Council on Persons with Disabilities)
Build awareness for disabled worshipers
Transforming Worship in the Dementia Unit (Christian Reformed Church)
Learn from one chaplain's experience

Featured Resources

Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities (Brookes Publishing, 2007)
by Erik Carter
Bringing his practical ideas to life with anecdotes, quotes, and examples of successful strategies, Erik Carter helps readers reflect on how welcoming their congregation is—and could be—for people with disabilities and their families; articulate and pursue a bold vision of inclusion throughout their congregation, community, city, or state; take steps to break down attitudinal, architectural, programmatic, and other barriers to inclusion; design appropriate, inclusive religious education programs for children, youth, and adults; and learn how service providers can actively support the spiritual preferences, strengths, and needs of people with disabilities.

Autism and Your Church (Faith Alive Resources)
by Barbara Newman
Autism has evolved from an unfamiliar term to an everyday reality for millions of people. Bookstore shelves are filled with resources that address how Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affect children and adults at school, work, and home. But what about the church? What about your church? How can it become a welcoming place for individuals and families affected by ASD? This resource offers practical ways to welcome and include individuals with ASD into the full life of your congregation.

Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities (Faith Alive Resources)
by Barbara Newman
Children with special needs are part of God’s family. Like all of us, they need to experience belonging and inclusion in the community. Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities equips teachers, church activity leaders, and kids with the information they need to practice inclusive education in community. The book includes: information for understanding children with special needs, guidelines for churches, information about specific and general areas of impairment, lesson plans, letters to families, devotions for families.
Listen to a Symposium 2006 session by this author

The Easter Book (Faith Alive Resources)
The Easter Book is a resource written for Friendship Ministries, an interdenominational organization that produces curricula for those with cognitive impairments. This book includes several examples of ways one can talk about the salvation message with those who have cognitive delays. It also gives instructions for making praise banners and flags so that those with limited speaking ability can have a way to participate in praise and worship time.

Additional Books
Dancing with Disabilities: Opening the Church to All God's Children (United Church Press, 1996)
relates the struggle and triumphs of children and adults with disabilities whose presence challenges the church to welcome all God's children to their rightful place in the Christian community
Emmaus Eyes: Worship with the Mentally Challenged (Eden Publishing, 1996)
practical help for designing worship that includes mentally challenged individuals
Human Disability and the Service of God: Reassessing Religious Practice (Abingdon Press, 1998)
a scholarly book that draws on various disciplines to explore how human disability bears upon the services of God
Special Needs—Special Ministry (Group Publishing, 2004)
a practical guide to help churches include children with special needs and their families. Provides steps to build or deepen a special needs ministry.

Events
See Calendar of Events for a complete listing of upcoming events

Other Links
Disability Concerns
Christian Reformed Church in North America
Disabilities Manual
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA Committee on Disabilities
Committee on Disabilities
Reformed Church in America
Friendship Ministries
Sharing God's Love with People who have Cognitive Impairments

Vital Worship
Feature stories ... for inspiration, learning, and group discussion