Accommodating Physical and Mental Disabilities in the Church

Just yesterday, my husband received a phone call from a friend in the church whose son has autism.  The boy had been accompanying his father to meetings, had not been at all disruptive, and the only irregularity one might have noted is that he would fall asleep from time to time on the back bench where they customarily sat.

Most people were happy about the fact that this teenage boy had been brought to services by his father, and one lady, in fact, said:  "We need boys like this," in order to broaden our understanding and to open our hearts.

In his conversation with my husband, however, the father of that boy mentioned that someone in the church had told him that it would be better if he did not bring the boy to meetings!  This statement was one that was very astonishing to us, given the fact that the Lord Jesus, in his time on earth, received, over and over, those with disabilities and, one would think, would have rebuked those in our present day who reject them, were He present in a physical way in our midst.

Persons with disabilities often, nowadays, find that ramps have been built to accommodate those with wheelchairs.   That is a small beginning, but, persons with other disabilities, that do not necessarily involve the use of a wheelchair, often find that church buildings and programs are built to take account only of those with normal functions.  They may find, furthermore, that attitudes within the church are not inclusive of those with a disability.  

However, there is hope on the horizon.  Various church groups have started to address these two problems, and one of them has even produced a manual helpful to those wishing to be inclusive and helpful to those with a disability of one type or another.  While your church may be different in emphasis and practice from the one producing the manual, I think that you will find this little booklet helpful, if only as a place to start thinking about disability and the church.  The link to it is:

Disability Resource Manual: A Practical Guide for Churches and Church Leaders




While your group may not wish to employ the particular practices mentioned in this manual, it will undoubtedly find this little volume helpful, if only as a catalyst for thought.