The View from Where I Sit

Tag: change

  • Dealing with Disability in the Church: Third edition of series (Three Perspectives)

    Dealing with Disability in the Church: Third edition of series (Three Perspectives)

    By: Daniella Jade Lowe

    Dealing with Disability in the Church hasn’t been all that bad for me. First of all, I’d like to start out by saying, I’ve attended church all my life. I love church. I get involved in church services mainly by serving on the Audiovisual/Technical Team. I enjoy this.

    While living in Bradford I noticed that their churches have their own private buses to pick up and drop off their members.

    Now I’ve got one ‘bone to pick.’ Why are public buses in England expected to be wheelchair accessible but not private buses? Just an observation.

    However, whenever I asked to use it instead of taxis, I was told they do not take wheelchairs for liability reasons. Also I noticed the church I first attended, had a wheelchair section for easy access in case of a fire. I also attended a university campus church in Bradford.

    On the other hand, while living in Ilkley, there is one church that has a disability ministry for those with intellectual disabilities called the Ark, which meets the first Sunday of every month from 3pm to 6pm. Some other churches may even have Sign Language interpreters for the hearing impaired.

    In relation to handling disability, churches should take on The Good Samaritan Approach.

    Prayer

    I appreciate prayers. I have been asked to be prayed for and gladly accepted such. It can be slightly frustrating when your expectation for a change is so high and it doesn’t come which has discouraged me at times. But I do believe in miracles.

    However, I also know someone who has autism of a different persuasion. Her experiences in the church have almost never been positive. Many times, Christians have prayed for her to be healed of autism.

    She does not personally want to be “healed” of autism, because she believes that God intentionally allows some people to be born with autism or Down Syndrome for his own good reasons, and that these people are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God, and perfect just the way they are. They do not need to be healed; God made them like that.

    She feels that her autism is an integral part of who she is, and is not a negative thing, but rather a positive one. She does not feel that autism holds her back.

    When church people pray for her to be healed of autism, without asking her first whether she wants healing, or despite my objections to what they’re doing, that does not empower me. They are deciding on my behalf what direction they think my life should take, but they do not have that right; it’s my life. People with disabilities deserve to be in control of their own lives.

    Instead of being “healed,” all she wants is to be accepted by the church for the peculiar, wonderful, autistic person who she is. She needs acceptance and inclusion.

    When people pray for her to be healed of autism, she perceives them to be indirectly saying,

    “I want God to change you into a normal person, for my own comfort, because I can’t handle that we have a disabled person in our church. I don’t want to deal with having to include disabilities, so it’s easier if I can just try to heal them instead.”

    She fully believes that God does have the power to heal people. But she also believes that when church members wish to pray for a disabled person’s healing, they need to first ask that person whether he or she wants healing or not. If the disabled individual declines the offer, church members need to fully respect this, and not keep pushing healing on the person.

    It is good to be content and happy with life. I do agree to some extent. There is also a way of embracing disability without accepting it as if there’s no hope.

    In other words exhibit faith, despite the odds! Don’t glorify the problem, glorify the problem solver.

    Stating the facts about one’s medical condition isn’t necessarily claiming it but acknowledging that something is different about the way a person functions. We shouldn’t live in denial and shame, especially if people ask genuine questions out of curiosity.

    The Stigma around Medical Intervention

    Another subject I don’t understand is the notion that surgery or taking medicine isn’t faith. I believe God can heal through medical science. Sometimes medical intervention is part of the process. There is also nothing wrong with prayer and a psychologist, social worker or carers.

    Besides, faith without works is dead. I also notice that people tend to judge by appearances. I’m not looking for pity but inclusion.

    Wheelchair Accessibility: Functioning in Dysfunction

    Some churches in England have a health and safety policy where they have designated seating for the physically challenged. They’re also wheelchair accessible for the most part too.

    Wheelchair Accessibility and mobility issues are just some of the problems that the physically challenged face. Access alleviates the amount of limitations and restrictions on wheelchair users. Failing to ensure wheelchair accessibility is neglecting to provide reasonable adjustments. It is like functioning in dysfunction.

    I get really annoyed with drivers who park across dropped kerbs. Dropped kerbs are meant to make it easy for wheelchairs to enter and exit sidewalks. I think that drivers should either be fined or vehicles towed. Alternatively, if the church building isn’t wheelchair accessible, there is the option of watching services online, but then the problem with that is, one can’t mix and mingle with other believers. I suppose this will always be an issue depending on where one lives. There are many other issues that this subject can cover but this video should do the job. Why should your church be Disability Friendly?

  • “Sammy Sets the Record Straight”

    “Sammy Sets the Record Straight”

    Sammy is Awesome.

    He may not have the use of his legs, but he can do amazing things.

    Sammy is Strong.

    Sammy is Fast.

    Sammy is Awesome.

    What is so Awesome about Sammy?

    Well, Sammy is a short, black, 5 year old boy Para-superhero.

    He had a ready smile that would light up any room.

    When he giggled, it was contagious and you couldn’t help but giggle with him, even if you didn’t know what he was giggling about!

    One thing everyone knew about Sammy, you couldn’t be around him for too long before, you too, had a smile on your face. That is just how he was, “Smiling little Sammy”.

    Super Sammy loved to have fun and explore, just like any other 5 year old. He loved to laugh and when he was in the company of people he loved, you would hear shrieks of laughter and when curiosity got the better of you, you would find that Sammy was smack bang in the centre of it all.

    It was during one such family occasion with his two friends Jamar and Johnny, when everyone was laughing and having fun, that Sammy made an amazing discovery. He realised that he had something that was a bit out of the ordinary. Nobody had told him about his self-discovery, and he kept it a secret.

    Sammy loved to be of help to others, but not only that, he found himself dreaming about helping others. He dreamt he had an extra special ability to help others, but never imagined, for one moment, that it was a power that was to be used in reality.

    This dream happened regularly and would often occur just before he awoke from his sleep. He would dream that he was helping people who were in need in different types of ways.

    In his dream, Sammy was doing all sorts of things that he was unable to do in real life. Sammy was in a wheelchair and had little use of his legs but, in this dream, his legs were not bound. He was not in a wheelchair. There was nothing he couldn’t do. The disability became invisible. He would think about these dreams often, wondering what they meant, as they happened a lot.

    In this dream, he had been given super powers. These super powers aren’t genetic or hereditary. They help him to fight off bullies. He could also fly in his dreams, which meant that he has the ability to rise above his problems in reality.

    As a disabled superhero, Sammy has grown to dislike bullying. He also doesn’t like the drama that comes with it. As a victim, he has been called all sorts of names like, ‘chocolate-cripple’.

    ‘See me first, not my wheelchair,’ he cried.

    He even has advocates and tactics to help him overcome them. These advocates include Johnny, who has been teased because of his race, and Jamar has been bullied because of his hair. They eventually formed an anti-bullying gang alongside Sammy. He also wears blue to help ‘stand against’ bullying, in support of anti-bullying day.

    Johnny and Jamar, helped Sammy come up with five solutions to overcome bullying. Johnny and Jamar were Sammy’s sidekicks.

    These tactics include speaking to a caring teacher, trusted adult, parent, calling a helpline or get a personal emergency alarm. Johnny and Jamar teach Sammy that bullies are not born bullies. Bullying is learned behaviour.

    So Sammy tried to get to know his bullies and understand why they behave the way they do. Once the bullies realised the error of their ways, Sammy and the bullies worked together to remove the negativity.

    Johnny and Jamar also taught Sammy what to do if conflict doesn’t stop.

    Conflict 101

    • Have the right attitude.
    • Speak up for yourself.
    • Be direct- Don’t let people boss you around.
    • Pick your fights.

    Even today, Sammy continues to use the superpowers from his dreams and uses them in reality to help others.