People with disabilities want to be part of their communities. They want meaningful activities and social networks. They want to belong to community groups. But it isn’t always easy to get access to community life.
Mosques, churches and synagogues are an important part of life for many people. Some reasons people attend are spiritual; for worship, faith and to find and purpose for their life. People who are part of faith congregations find activities, friends, social support and genuine relationships. People with disabilities want to join a faith community for these same reasons. But there are barriers that can make it difficult.
“Access to Faith Communities” will help find ways to overcome the barriers. United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan (UCP) is leading the project team. The team includes leaders and people with disabilities from the Jewish, Moslem and Christian faiths. It includes disability groups like the Capital Area RICC. (Regional Interagency Consumer Committee.)
Workshops.
The project will hold a series of 6 workshops. 20 to 30 people with disabilities, their allies and faith community members will meet weekly from May 15 to June 12. People will be expected to attend all sessions.
Together the group will:
• Hear all participants’ stories, struggles, and successes in inclusion and finding meaningful roles for people with disabilities in faith communities.
• Explore disability culture and the disability rights movement.
• Learn about ableism and exclusion, and how those are often experienced in faith communities.
• Learn about ableism and exclusion, and how those are often experienced in faith communities.
• Share tools and practical ways to promote inclusion, access and participation.
• Explore interpretations of disability in theology, sacred texts and congregation practices.
• Develop strategies for working together after the workshops to promote inclusion.
Procedures for helping people with disabilities find a faith community of their choice.
People who have high support needs are often very isolated. They need allies who can help them find a faith community and learn how to be active members. The workshops will help locate allies and prepare congregations to include people with high support needs.
Often agency staff are the main allies of people with high support needs. Agencies have concerns about assisting a person with a disability with faith-based activities. We will develop and field test procedures that agency staff and other allies can use to connect people to the faith community, and to assure that the individual's choice is being honored.
This project is funded in part by a grant from the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Council.
