Arm Stroking Christians

I tend to view my body as my own.

I don't think I'm unusual in that.

Only those with permission or those who I count as friends and trust are allowed to touch, even if it’s only a hand on my shoulder.

This is for many reasons….. 

“People In Wheelchairs are Weird”

“People In Wheelchairs are Weird”

Yes, somebody actually said this. Horrendous isn’t it?

Let me add some context to the comment.

A young friend of mine uses a wheelchair. He’s a bright kid with a wicked sense of humour and was attending one of the children’s programmes last week. In his team was a little girl who asked a few questions about him and then announced, in surprised fashion, that he was actually quite ‘normal’. One of the leaders in the team gently asked why she was surprised by this. Her answer was worrying: “My mum says people in wheelchairs are weird. But he isn’t”.

Speaking Kind Words

Proverbs 16:2 (ERV)
Kind words are like honey; they are easy to accept and good for your health.

Colossians 4:6(ERV)
When you talk, you should always be kind and wise. Then you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should.

Proverbs 25:11(ERV)
Saying the right thing at the right time is like a golden apple in a silver setting.

A quick search of the bible can bring up a lot of advice on how to speak kindly. Words often ignored in the name of whatever 'crusade we' are embarking on.

If God Calls You - You Can Do It.

Two blogs in a day! Wow!

But this is the blog I actually intended to write today. It fits with the previous one…. sort of.

This one comes out of a Facebook update I wrote, and the many comments I received after posting it. You can see it here.

The actual update read: 

“A lady at church said because of my disability, I should retire & stop running around the country... 

#SillyLady #Only49 #FitForWork #LoveMyJob #VeryCrossKay

Choosing Speakers - Regardless.....

There’s loads of tweets and posts out there on conferences only having white male keynote speakers.

Do I support this campaign? Absolutely I do! 

I am blessed to know many gifted female speakers and speakers of a different ethnicity, and I am happily cheering them on from the sidelines. The conferences who don’t use them are missing out on a huge blessing.

A Cold & Broken Hallelujah

I’ve thought long and hard about writing this blog post.

It’s a vulnerable one…. and I hate being vulnerable.

But it keeps screaming at me to be written, and this is my third attempt at writing it!

It stems from a seminar that Steve and myself did at Spring Harvest called “Coping With the Onset of Disability”. I wasn't totally sure about doing it, but as I've quoted in another post - God appeared to think it was a good thing!

Stolen Dignity

Dignity: “The state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect.”

We use the word dignity in many ways, and as a result its real meaning has been eroded a lot over the years. 

I'm often described as dignified - but by that most people mean I don't complain much (they don't know me very well!)

Praying With A Foggy Brain - There's An App For That.

(Check out the preceding posts to this: "What Was I Praying?" and "Is Prayer A Duty Or A Joy?")

I’ve been looking for ages for a journal app I can use for prayer, notes and thoughts. 

I needed one that enables me to use larger fonts on a clear and uncluttered background. 

None of those from Christian app writers cater for people with vision problems, so that shrunk the possibilities a lot!  

I also wanted one I could use across all devices - not easy when your computer/tablet is Apple and your phone is Android! 

But then I found and iPad/iphone app called ‘Awesome Note’ . (Christian app writers could learn a lot from looking at this very accessible app!)

This app is completely customisable - even down to what folders you want, what you want them to look like and how you want to use them. You can arrange the folders in any order and name them too. 

It also syncs with Evernote - my chosen note taking app, so I can look up stuff when I haven’t got my iPad. It's the best £2.99 I’ve ever spent on an app!

So why did I need an App?

It’s because of the tools I have found useful for my prayer life - with this app I can put them all in one place, and make notes as I use them. With a brain like mine I can easily forget.

These things are:

• A Prayer Book - I love old prayers - they have ancient and beautifully crafted words, and much thought has gone into what is in them. My favourite is the  ‘Prayers of the Reformers’ book. I bought a similar kindle prayer book and often ‘screen shot’ prayers and drop them into Awesome Note to use more frequently - especially if one mirrors how I feel I should be praying for a specific person or circumstance.

• Written Prayer - I have those moments where I start to pray for someone or something and then think “I don’t know what to pray”. (Yes I know about tongues - but not everyone has that gift….). I think it's helpful to write specific prayers and drop them into this app. I don’t think God minds us doing that. Somedays I'll read it as my prayer, but on other days it may be the catalyst for more. 

• Bible verses - There’s some great examples of praise in the psalms, there’s also some great examples of pleading with God. The Epistles give us some lovely examples of praying for others. I like to drop these into my journal too so I can pick them out to pray with. 

For example:

Ephesians 1:15-19(MSG)

“That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

• Music - I sometimes find it a distraction, but sometimes it’s something that draws me to prayer. If I come to prayer agitated I find it often ‘resets my soul’. I can't drop the actual music into the app, but I can write in a part of my journal if a song has helped.

• Devotions - More often than not, my daily reading will set a conversation going with God - so I have my journal in Awesome Note too. A good place to look back when I need reminding of what God is saying to me

Using all these things is a help, but I am also aware that change is crucial. This app is useful for this too - I can have lots of ways to pray in there. If I'm having a bad day I can use a more guided/prescriptive approach (Written prayers and Bible verses). On my better days I can be freer - rewriting prayers as circumstances change or the Holy Spirit reveals more.

Using something completely different to pray on some days is good - I sometimes use my prayer arrows book to focus on the different aspects of prayer. (That’s another blog!) I've dropped all the pictures from this book into Awesome Note so I can recall them, because on my bad days I won't remember all of them (If any!)

Others use the Lord’s Prayer as a guide, or an acronym such as A.C.T.S (“Adoration, Confession. Thanks and Supplication” Lots of big words there, which is why we wrote the prayer arrows). If you go for this approach to quiet times - you may want to use these and drop them into a journaling app..... or even a hand written journal if you prefer!

I hope this is helpful.

Be blessed in your praying.

Enjoy the Miracles, But Don't Forget Your Communities

It does appear that given the choice of a seminar on signs and wonders and a seminar on making sure those with disabilities can access church, the majority will opt for the seminar on signs and wonders. 

That seminar is usually full to overflowing.

I find this slightly disturbing.

There’s been a lot of talk about healing on social media, both from Wales and from a couple of recent festivals - that’s wonderful!

But I still can’t helping feeling as though the finger of blame is pointing at those who are not healed - “those people have been healed, why not you?”

And now I hear of people getting into their cars and chasing the new welsh revival, much like they did with a well known “revival” in America in the last couple of years.

This gives me another question: Would as many folk do the same to learn how to make sure everyone - including those with disabilities - can access their church? Would they do that to learn how to include and teach children? 

The figures for those attending these sort of conferences speak for themselves…… No.

Don’t misunderstand me here - I believe in healing. I believe in Biblical signs and wonders. But I don’t believe it should be at the expense of caring for our communities. 

I believe there is the same amount of wonder in seeing a child with a profound disability worship as there is in witnessing a healing…. And I have witnessed both.

So here I am, a very quiet voice in the world of the church, putting my hand up and saying “Excuse me please! Enjoy the miracles, but don’t forget to care. Don’t forget that not everyone will be healed and will still need to access the church. And whatever you do - don’t forget the children.” 

The Forgotten Ones

I and many others are busy raising awareness about children with additional needs in our churches - there's a growing army of us!

But in all the forums, conferences, chats with families and focus groups what I'm finding is, there are still two groups of young people who are being forgotten.

There are lots of discussions about autism, dyspraxia, ADHD and other similar additional needs. That's great. The fact there is so much discussion (and sometimes heat) means these children are actually in our churches.  Awesome!

But where is the discussion on proper inclusion of children with physical disabilities? Hang on - where ARE the children with physical disabilities?? Have you noticed that on the whole, the only children we have with physical disabilities are those born to families already in the church?

There is no discussion, because there are no children to discuss.

And what about those children with hidden physical disabilities? I'm sure there are house bound young people with ME out there that would love contact with the church!

On chatting to a young lady in her teens recently, a girl who has a life limiting disease, she said that although she can't get out, she used to like getting invitations to church events, just because it meant she wasn't forgotten. Sadly, she no longer gets the invitations..... And she no longer feels included. No one from the youth team visits. How sad is that.

There is no discussion on these children/young people because they have quietly wheeled, limped or crawled their way out of the church for good - and that's if they managed to get in to start with. Many see the church as uncaring and uninterested and therefore don't even bother trying to come in.

We've fought the issues of physical access....... And many churches feel as though they've got that one ticked off their list. But they haven't.

Here's some things I bet many churches haven't thought through: 

- For a baptist type church, how do you baptise a young person who can't access the baptistry?

- If a young person who does not take food orally wants to take communion, what do you do? And what about young people with poor swallowing reflexes who choke/splutter when taking communion - how do you react?

- What do you do for the young person who is blind and can't see the amazing visual aids you've produced?

- Is it obvious how to access your church in a wheel chair with out having to ask? 

- Do you have an accessible parking space with enough room to open the car door wide so parents can transfer their child to a wheelchair more easily?

I think we need to look at our accessibility in our children's work, and if it is truly accessible..... We need to say on our publicity, on our websites an on our notice boards that our children's work is 'fully accessible' displaying the international signs for accessibility.

We also need to be intentional in our support of those children who are housebound due to disabilities, and also in our support of their families.

There are many children out there with life limiting diseases, their time for hearing the gospel is short, but it appears no one is reaching out to them. Why? The urgency is huge!

How about getting into the local specialist schools, or running carer's support groups. 

Use your imagination!

Don't wait for them to come to you, reach out to them.

It's Fibro Awareness Day - this is what it means to me

I don’t usually complain about my Myofacial Pain Syndrome or Fibromyalgia on my blog or on social media. I try to talk to the friends who know me well and know how to pray and leave it with them to pray. The whole of social media doesn’t need to know!

But today is Fibromyalgia awareness day (Also ME, CFS and other similar disorders) SO…. I’m going to tell you what life is like at the moment.

I will start by saying that I still carry on doing what I do, I have to find other ways of doing them, but I carry on regardless. Not doing stuff wouldn’t make a difference, so I might as well carry on!

There’s something that many are not aware of that happens to those with a slowly deteriorating disease. Each downward step brings grief, and it sneaks up on you unawares. If you let it, it steals your joy and makes you want to give up. But I decided a long time ago not to let these conditions define me or stop me.

One milestone has brought me relief, fun, but also a return of that grief.

I got a second hand electric wheelchair! It’s great fun, it’s brought me independence (I can now do London meetings without having to drag Steve along and pay for an extra train ticket) and it’s so much more comfortable. 

But it’s also an aching reminder of what I no longer have. Two years ago I could manually wheel myself around, or go to London and use a walking stick (slowly) without worry.

The Fibro and the MPS fight each other, and lately it has been the MPS that has the upper hand. Causing severe pain and permanent damage in my left side - especially my arm/shoulder, hand/wrist making using my walking stick really difficult (I can’t balance if I use it in my other hand) But alongside that, the Fibro is causing weakness in my left leg!

Life is never dull with these conditions!

I still do what I do - but now I have to check accessibility of venues a lot more carefully. I have to book assistance (and hope that it works) for trips to London - why are so many meetings in London? It’s SO inaccessible! If someone chooses a venue where the local tube station is not accessible I either have to pay a fortune on taxis or not go. Considering many of my London meetings don’t pay expenses…… this is costing me a lot of money!

I recently asked on twitter and facebook if anyone knew of any well known speakers who were physically disabled, there were a few - but not many. There are not many in full time Christian work at all - and I can see why.  

I feel honored to do what I do - to serve the church and the children in it. I wouldn’t do anything else - this is what God has called me to and He hasn’t changed His mind! But I say the following with care - It’s flippin’ hard!

It’s not that people don’t care or are deliberately thoughtless, that is so far from the truth! The reality is, it just doesn’t occur to people that a venue may not be accessible, either through transport or steps. When they realise - they are genuinely mortified! But by that time, it’s too late to change, or the more accessible venues are not affordable.

There are of course those who refuse to understand the issues I face - usually people who have known me a long time and just can’t get their head around the fact I don’t function like I used to! But these people are in the minority.

I’m not the only one with these conditions - there are thousands more people with them, some worse than me.

Pray for us, pray for me, but also pray for those people in full time Christian work who have a disability - many of them hidden disabilities, some more obvious, but all of us having to work harder to do what we do.

NOTE: This is not written for sympathy - I don't like sympathy! That's why you'll often hear my hubby say un-politically correct things to me - it makes me laugh!

Perfectionism vs Caring Community

We're in the 21st Century, and in 'The Church', families who have children with additional needs are still being asked to leave because the church can't cope with them. If they are not asked to leave, they are left to struggle.

That probably sounds a bit harsh, but sadly it is true.

Let's look at how the meeting of Church and the 21st century is affecting those with disabilities:

A couple of years ago churches didn't think anything of having sound 'dead spots' in their main meeting room - which was a huge help to those who can't cope with sensory overload. But now, with the dawn of more advanced sound systems these 'dead spots' are frowned upon in the pursuit of a concert style sound (That is often louder than actually needed). If any one with autism, tinnitus or other conditions that don't cope with surround sound ask for a dead spot area, they are frowned upon because "It might ruin the experience for others". 

The fact that those 'others' don't notice a problem is incidental, as is the possibility that a young person with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder/Aspergers has been caused to run crying into the toilet to escape the sound.

In an attempt to make things visually more 'exciting' we have moving back grounds on screens where the song words are, making it impossible for many to read the words.

In an attempt to make worship 'flow' we don't announce which song is coming next meaning some with specific disabilities can't find the next song in the large print song book until it's nearly finished….. that's if there is a large print song book!

Caring for others, including those with disabilities is getting more and more lost in a sea of  so called improvements that make us more like the world but make our communities and our meetings less accessible. The need for perfection comes ahead of the need of the people. 

And that's just the tip of the iceberg - for a person with a disability or additional need, whether they be an adult or child, Church is a difficult place to be and often a scary place.

It's because of this that I write about disability and the church. It's the reason that I shout and scream (and metaphorically stamp my feet) on Twitter and Facebook 

God put the idea that church should be accessible on my heart when I was 14 and volunteering on a camp for children who have disabilities…. a long time before I became disabled by some genetic quirk of muscles and neurology. I didn't find out that I had the conditions I have until I was 19 and training to be a nurse.

Many people think I campaign because I am disabled…. but I've only been using a wheelchair for a small number of years. I say this because some have levelled the accusation at me that I'm only campaigning to make life better for me. This is most definitely not true.

I campaign because I want everyone to be able to access the Gospel - no matter what form that access has to be. I am most passionate about children with disabilities and additional needs, but I also campaign for adults. It is pure co-incidence that I am now experiencing what I have been campaigning about.

I have found that if I give a talk or train people when sitting down - especially in a wheelchair, people don't take me as seriously as when I stand to speak….. why is that? Does my wheelchair take my brain away? This is why I plan pain medications to make sure I can stand - which surprised a few people at the last conference I spoke at. It wasn't the standing to speak that surprised them, but the fact that they later saw me in a wheelchair!

There are so many campaigns out there - lots of them wonderful and valid campaigns. They often get a great following. But I am left slightly bewildered by the fact that saving badgers gets more support than disability discrimination awareness!

In all the hard work and heart and soul I put into this campaigning, my 'head' tells me to give up, because it is obvious that majority of 'The Church' really couldn't give a stuff about it. But my heart tells me to keep going, because every so often it makes a small difference to one child or their family - a small difference in our eyes, but a huge difference in theirs.

What I do isn't about me - it's about kids and their families, it's about all those people who need to hear about the Love of Jesus but can't. It's about the care that Jesus tells us to have.

If Jesus was visiting some our churches, I don't think He would be in the main meeting….. I believe He would be in the toilet comforting that young person who couldn't cope with the noise.

Additional Needs Alliance

Last weekend we had our first “Additional Needs Alliance” Forum.

It was a great success! Just over 50 people of like mind together in one room. 

The speakers were: Mark Arnold from Urban Saints. Me (Kay Morgan-Gurr) from Children Worldwide, and Paul Nash of the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network. There were others who came to help facilitate different areas of discussion.

The forum fed into the Children and Family Ministry conference (Hand in Hand), with the Friday night plenary being about “A Vision for Inclusivity” and an additional needs work seminar stream running throughout the weekend. This was also a great success.

What is the 'Additional Needs Alliance'?

The Alliance isn’t another organisation out to ‘get at’ churches. It’s primary aim isn’t campaigning but rather getting alongside people and churches to raise awareness in the area of working with children who have additional needs and disabilities. Ok, so some might see what we do as campaigning…..but that's just a side effect of our passion!

What we are aiming to do is start a conversation about how we care for children and families who are affected by the huge breadth of additional needs and disabilities out there. To raise a vision beyond just ‘catering’ for these children to creating a place where they and their families feel they belong and are wanted. We want churches to say yes to families who are so used to hearing ‘no’ when they ask if a church can cope with their child’s needs.

One of the things we have looked at is the vision for the spiritual walk of these children, their faith journey with God. We know they can have relationship with God - it may challenge how we view and understand faith, but we know that God understands and the power of the Holy Spirit works beyond our understanding. We believe the faith journey of these children should be a fundamental part of our vision.

1 in 5 children in this country having some form of additional need or disability, and it is obvious this number is not reflected in our churches.

There are small pockets of excellent work out there, usually stemming from people already in our church communities having children with additional needs. It’s a great place to start - but we can also see a much bigger missional picture.

Many people, when looking at this area often only see those children with ADHD, Autistic Spectrum disorders and dyspraxia, and although these are important, those with other conditions and disabilities are often forgotten. We want to raise awareness in ALL areas of additional needs and disabilities and make sure our churches are open and accessible. A safe place where they can belong.

What can you do?

You can join the conversation and spread it - Gossip this stuff around - Kids with additional needs and disabilities matter!

We have a facebook group  a twitter account (@A_N_All) and an email address (On the flier to stop spammers getting hold of it!)

We are planning more forums - join the facebook group or contact us for more dates.

Link to a copy of the flier below here

*This is a Children Matter! initiative. Currently run by an Urban Saints and Children Worldwide partnership

You probably Won't Read This Because It's About Disability.

I'm sorry for the tongue in cheek title - I did name it that as a joke, but as with many jokes, there is just a grain of truth in it.

I’ve come to the conclusion that when churches are thinking about disability and additional needs, we need a totally different way of thinking. Actually - some churches need to start to think about this as there’s no thinking to change!

How Does Your Church View Disability?

Is it part of the health and safety policy (How to evacuate the premises in the event of a fire) or part of the logistics policy of the church (Where do we put wheelchairs and is the loop system working)?

Is it viewed with some fear or maybe some belligerence (We can’t be expected to do everything when we don’t have any disabled people)?

Or, is it viewed with a different mindset? 

Is your church’s policy on disability placed firmly in the same place as caring for any other person in your church? Are they included in your pastoral thinking? Do you think of them when writing your evangelism policies? When you are training and helping people to find where their giftings are - do you include people with disabilities (including preaching, teaching and leading worship)?

We Need to Be Missional in Our Thinking. 

Rather than thinking “what do we do with the disabled people? Where do we put them, how do we make them safe and stop them complaining”,  we need to change our mindset so we see the person before the disability.

We need to stop treating them as a different people group. And to start seeing the need to facilitate faith and worship for all in our communities. We need to think differently for all those we are reaching out to.

Many of our churches are willing to think differently in the way they approach church and worship. We have seen an emergence of cafe church, messy church, seeker friendly churches etc, but sadly, there appears to be little appetite for making our services accessible at every level, for all.

Those who have disabilities are part of our communities. Yes, some may need to use a wheel chair, need large print or braille, need a signer - but first and foremost, they are people. If we start from seeing those with disabilities as people rather than a health and safety issue, and make them our friends, we will see much more easily how to facilitate them in our communities.

In caring for our church communities we think nothing of making meals for someone who has just had a baby, doing the ironing for some one who has had an operation, so why is caring for someone with a disability, and their family, such a big deal? Is it because it is a long term conscious decision rather than a short term emergency plan?

We Need to be a Welcoming Church 

The disability discrimination act requires us to be pre-emptive in our provision within services and church activities - on top of providing access to the building. I think this is a good thing - and a gospel thing to do. We want to be welcoming to any new person coming into our churches and that’s great! But how welcoming is it to come into a church and have to use the back door to get in? (Using the back door isn’t the issue - it’s the lack of welcome at the back door) To not be able to sing because you can’t see the words, not not be able to know what’s going on because the loop isn’t working….. The list goes on.

As a Christian who is disabled I have to put up with a lot. I rarely complain, but occasionally I will comment for the purpose of training for others. Sometimes I can see that things are done a certain way because there is a logistical problem, and for the greater majority it is the best way….. I am not the centre of the universe, it doesn’t have to be changed just for me. You will find most people with disabilities think the same way.

What I do comment on are thoughtless mistakes. They seem sensible to the person putting them in place, but they haven’t had cause to think it through from a disability point of view.

At the risk of embarrassing male readers, here’s one I and my disabled female friends often come up against:

We have to use the accessible toilet. When you look for the bin for sanitary items you find a note that says “The bin for sanitary items is in the main ladies toilets in the end cubicle”. Now, just stop and think that through a moment…. we have to use the accessible toilet because…… we can’t get into the main toilets!

I’ll close with that thought, but leave you with a challenge. How about looking around your church for issues just like this? How about sitting through a service looking at it from the perspective of different disabilities. Don’t just leave it at wheelchair users and those who are blind or deaf, think it through for those who are elderly and unwell, those who have learning difficulties, those who are autistic. Think about your children's work and your youth work too - there are many, many children and youth out there who have additional needs and disabilities. 

When it comes to those who have additional needs and disabilities  and are outside our church communities - it is a virtually unreached mission field. What are we going to do about it? How missional are we in our approach to disability?

How can your church be more welcoming to people (Adults and Children) who have disabilities and additional needs?

You can contact “Churches for All” for more advice. Just ask and I’ll put you in touch :o)

Idiots Guide to making church accessible….Worship

When we talk about accessibility, the obvious things are wheelchair ramps and lifts, but there is so much more!!

By accessible we mean more than physical access to a building:

Can those attending your church access worship? The teaching? The coffee? Do they feel guilty because of terminology?  That’s just a few of the things we can think about when we look at making church accessible. Is your website accessible too? Is there information about how those with disabilities can access what you do?

In this post, I’m only going to look at one aspect of accessibility. I may cover other areas later.

Let’s look at ‘sung worship’:

Most will think this is just down to being able to read the words on the screen. Yes, there are issues there, but there are others too.

Do you provide large/giant print words? 

Think about the following:

• Are they large enough?
• Are they in a sans serif font? Serif fonts are difficult to read for those with visual problems and also for those who have dyslexia
• Have you used italics? It’s best not to - they aren’t as clear to read (Yes I know I’ve used them here!)
• If the song/hymn covers two pages, have you put the chorus on both pages? Having to turn the page back and find your place on the page again is difficult.
• Are they the ‘right’ words? Some hymns have variations, and some have the same title as another song. If the large print words are prepared by a different person to the one doing the presentation slides, sometimes the wrong song or words make their way to the large print folder!
• Is the page ‘clean’ or does it have the look of a poor photo copy with bits and blobs over it or fuzzy words? Having these things on the page can make them difficult to read.

How do you introduce worship?

Think about the following:

Are the first words something along the lines of “We’ll all stand to sing….”. Well, actually, some of your congregation may not be able to, and often find phrases like that unhelpful. Many of my disabled friends really appreciate something along the lines of “Stand if you’re able”, and if you’re the sort of church who “remain standing for the next song” it’s helpful to say “If you would like to remain standing….”  Inviting people to worship with suggestions that they may like to stand is much more helpful.

Announcing the next song/hymn is also helpful, or else those unable to see the screens will find it just as the song is finishing.

Do you have a fixed place where those who use wheelchairs or have poor mobility have to sit, or do you give choice?

Think about the following:

• If those who need to be seated for worship and use screens to access song words, be aware of those standing in front of them - they won’t be able to see past them. 
• If they opt to sit at the end of a row so they can see screens whilst seated, and you are from a church where people move around and raise hands in worship - look out for those who move into the aisle and don’t realise they are blocking the view of those who are seated.
• For some wheelchair users or those with mobility difficulties, sitting at the front isn’t always the solution, as looking up at a screen gives neck pain. (Plus, for those with complex syndromes or hidden disabilities the brightness of the screen can also be a problem)
• Be sensitive to those for whom volume means pain - not just to the ears, but also the base notes pounding through their body. Give advise as to the best place to sit if you know this could be a problem.

There is also specific advice for those who have autistic spectrum disorders and worship, which really needs to be a separate post. Do ask the person what is best if you have someone who is finding access to sung worship difficult due to autism. You could also look at the Oxford diocese booklet "Welcoming those with Autism and Asperger Syndrome in our Churches and Communities" downloadable here

As an aside:

If you put the songs being sung that day in a folder for those who can’t see the screens, how about putting the bible reading and responsive prayers in there too?

Beyond the Paralympics

Over the next couple of weeks we will all be ooo-ing and aaah-ing over the achievements of those taking part in the Paralympics. It’s all nice and warm and fuzzy - and why should’t it be?! This is something to be celebrated, and I for one will be watching as much as my work load allows.

There is work going on amongst para-church organisations to use the Paralympics to raise awareness of disability in churches - going beyond the ramp and a warm welcome, but actually including those with disabilities and additional needs fully in the life of the church.

But what happens when it’s all over? For a while, we will be inspired. To quote the Olympic catch phrase, a generation will have been inspired too. But for how long?

Here’s some things that may take this inspiration beyond the Paralympics:

• The Disability Sunday pack - written to be used during the event, but easily used on any day. It may fit better at a different time of year for your church, or you may have only just found out about it, but please - use it. 
• The Enabling Church study book - ideal for churches who wanted to take a fresh look at what the Bible has to say about disability and become equipped to be more inclusive. 
• I know of another book currently going through the editorial process - one that I have had the privilege of writing one of the chapters for. I’ll give you more information when I have it. 
• Have a look at the Livability page "Your Church And Disability" 

Also:

• Scripture Union do ‘Additional Needs’ camps (The link takes you to the camps just gone - but you can request a brochure for next year) 
• My own organisation (Children Worldwide) will be doing a weekend retreat for families who have a child with complex medical needs and mobility difficulties. See the page about "Latitude" 
• Both Urban Saints and Children Worldwide have people who can run a training event for churches who want to know more about children with additional needs and disabilities. 
• Churches for All have contacts who would be happy to come a do training on any aspect of disability for your church. Have a good look around this new look web site 
• If you want to see a good example of disability information on a website, have a look at the National Space Centre in Leicester - the info is helpful and clear and the centre itself is completely accessible and welcoming. Let’s get the churches in the UK doing this even better! 

And books for Kids:

• Some fantastic Books by Victoria Beech and the Paediatric Chaplaincy Network (Scroll down the page when you get there). Tackling subjects such as life limiting illness, hospital stays and the death of a sibling.
• And one little gem I've just found - Rebecca Elliott: "Just Because"

Are We Inspiring a Generation?

For the first time ever, the catch phrase for the Olympics and the Paralympics is the same: “Inspire a Generation”. It’s a good phrase!

All over the world, the younger generation are being inspired by positive role models who are competing in the Olympics, and the same will happen when it comes to the Paralympics. The torch is being passed on to the next generation. (I loved that bit of the opening ceremony!)

I hope that all of this rising generation will be inspired by both events. That not just disabled youngsters but also able bodied youngsters will be inspired by the Paralympics.

But what about us as a ‘Church’? 

Are we inspiring a generation? Any generation?

For all the children and young people in our churches, disabled or not, additional need or not, are we inspiring them to go forward in their faith? Are we giving good role models for them? Are we inspiring an older generation of people who have disabilities to go forward with God? Do we even have a vision for this?

How do we see those with disabilities and additional needs and are they even on the Church’s radar? Sadly, for most churches they are not. When you look at the figures of how many people there are with disabilities in our communities, it is easy to see that our churches do not reflect those figures….. And it’s not because they all get healed!

When the world is watching the abilities of the Paralympians rather than their disabilities and applauding their achievements, how is ‘the Church’ viewing those with disabilities in their communities? Are they seen as people who can be giants of faith, able to serve as well as receive? Or is it a case of a perplexed “what disabled people….?”

I’ve been speaking out for children who have disabilities and additional needs for over 20 years, and in the area of children - inspired by a generation of children’s workers, things are happening. More and more churches are trying to include youngsters with disabilities and additional needs. For these people I am extremely grateful -  they truly are inspiring a generation of children with disabilities and additional needs and building them up in their faith. But what happens as our children grow up? Do we have the same heart and vision in our youth and adult programmes?

Maybe as these children grow, the Church will sit up and realise that something needs to be done, to see that working with these young people and adults is a valid ministry. I believe that our churches need to be ready to welcome those with disabilities rather than being surprised when they come. I want those with leadership responsibilities to look at this issue properly rather than skip over info and posts about disability.... as seems to be the norm! (Apologies for my outspoken moment there - but that is how it feels to many people who have disabilities and try to access our churches)

Why not raise awareness about this in our churches now? With the Paralympics, the idea of disability will be high in people’s minds. And this is the thinking behind moving “Disability Sunday” to just after the event.

Have a look here for a ‘Disability Sunday’ pack, and look at inspiring your church to be a Gold medal holder for accessibility.... on all levels.... in all generations.

Problem or Purpose & Potential?

Ok - I’m a kid’s worker and I believe in evangelism amongst children. I have a passion to see ALL kids responding to God and growing in faith.

But when we think of evangelism and work with kids, where do those with disabilities and special needs fit in? Are they even part of our thinking when we write our evangelism plans and goals? It is sad that in many churches, children in general are not part of the official outreach programme, but children with special needs and disabilities? Well…….

When we think special Needs and disability, are we tempted to see the problems? Or can we see beyond potential difficulties and see firstly, a child and then the potential for faith and a life lived with God?

It is always a temptation to not see the child, but the diagnosis instead. We’re tempted to recruit people to a problem that needs sorting out rather than asking people to catch the vision for enabling this child to be everything they can be in Christ.

When I run training days, I find people want me to fix the “problem” with a quick fix or a bandage. It takes a long time to shift the focus from ‘problem’ to ‘purpose and potential’

Let’s be realistic here - usually, the only children with disabilities in our children’s work are those whose families are already part of the church family. Our mid week clubs have children with special needs who come from families on the edge of church. With both of these groups - we struggle, so how on earth can we cope with bringing more in? (Rhetorical question!)

As a teenager, and for many years after I worked on a summer camp for children with physical disabilities - I loved it! Many children came to know Jesus in a very real way, but…… Where could they go after camp? For a child with severe cerebral palsy, whose parents don’t want to go to church - how do we get them there, and how do we keep them there? In rare cases - we managed it, but as a rule, we didn’t. 

I’m still in touch with these ‘kids’ - many of whom are now adults. They don’t follow God, some are into “crystals” (One even has an advanced degree in the use of them!) My heart breaks!!! 

So who is reaching out to the disabled and vulnerable kids in our communities?

I’ve already been ‘realistic’ - now I’m going to be brutally honest…… Many of these children have short lives - I’ve been to far too many funerals! Happily, some of those have been for children still walking with God and a huge witness to their friends, but equally - there are so many more who are not in relationship with Christ. These kids have less time to hear the Gospel than others - the need is urgent!

We believe in the Gospel, we believe in spreading it, but do we believe in taking it to some of the most vulnerable kids in our communities - is “The Church” brave enough to step up to the challenge?

Who Choses Who Can Serve?

I was talking to the parent of a child who is diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum a few weeks ago. I asked her what her hopes and dreams were for him. One of the things she highlighted was “being given the opportunity to serve”. This particular little boy is very intelligent, has an amazing understanding of theology, and can explain it. And in a way that probably only he and God can understand, he has a real faith.

It does seem that in our churches, children are rarely given the opportunity to serve their church families – but for those who have a disability or additional need, the chance to serve is even rarer.

The mum I was talking to said that she would love to see her little boy’s Sunday teachers give him the opportunity to give out the biscuits, pour the squash, put away the chairs. Yes, he would need a little help, but it would do his self esteem a lot of good.

Another parent I spoke to was the mum of a teenager, also diagnosed as on the autistic spectrum. She thought a little differently. He was struggling to maintain his faith journey. He had a good understanding of his Bible, but needed fellowship. It was a much longer conversation, but it ended up with me suggesting he would be able to not only attend a bible study designed for those with his special needs, but he was more than capable of leading it himself. This idea was obviously a step too far for his mum. But why?

Who decides who can serve in our church families? I myself have a disability, and will rarely say how things are for me. This is because I know there will be someone who will wrongly assume that I am unable to continue my ministry because of it. This is obviously NOT the case. The only thing that sometimes stands in my way are issues of physical access.

Churches are doing better when it comes to ramps, accessible toilets, and lifts. But another ‘step’ to accessibility could be giving both children and grown ups who have disabilities or additional needs the chance to serve. Yes it’s scary, but it will also be a blessing.