Disability Awareness Sunday is October 20. Receive an offering for vital disability ministries in the Michigan Conference and lean on the Division on Disability Concerns for support.
SARAH POWLESS
Kalamazoo: Westwood UMC
The Michigan Conference’s Division on Disability Concerns (DDC) was created as part of the Board of Justice to ensure that people with disabilities are included in the church. Historically, people with disabilities have been seen as only miracles or always in need of help. This is not always the case. Most just want to be included! How can you ensure that your church is inclusive to all people with disabilities? The DDC is here to provide your church with resources, education, and support.
Every year, The United Methodist Church celebrates Disability Awareness Sunday. This year, it takes place on October 20. If your church can’t do it that day, you are welcome to pick any other Sunday that works for your church. Click here to download resources to plan your Disability Awareness Sunday. There are so many topics to discuss when increasing awareness of the disability community. All of your offerings for Disability Awareness Sunday are kept within the Michigan Conference. We are so thankful for these contributions, as they will help us provide future grants that will assist churches in becoming more accessible. More details on how churches can apply for these grants will be published soon.
The United Methodist Church’s Disability Ministries has a website with resources on ways you can make your church more accessible in multiple different aspects. Click to learn more. It is common to think about ramps and elevators, but there are many other ways to be accessible! Scents, sounds, lights, seating arrangements, and bulletin sizes are a few features that can be made accessible for those who have trouble navigating those parts of church or worship. Some people are sensitive to sounds. Whether it is loud sounds, deep sounds, high-pitched sounds, or sounds that are too repetitive, it can be distracting or overwhelming and hard to focus or participate in church.
Where do we get started? Start with the congregation and your committees! Have conversations with your members and visitors to learn what accommodations are still needed. Whether you have people with disabilities or not, having accommodations available will make your church more inclusive. For example, some churches may not have large-print bulletins because they feel they don’t know anyone who needs them. One reason you might not know anyone is that they aren’t able to participate in worship fully, so they don’t come! To be inclusive and accessible is to be proactive. You might not need 100 large-print bulletins, but start with 10. You may be surprised how many people use the large-print bulletins, not just because they can see it better but because it may be easier on their eyes. You don’t have to have low vision to need a large-print bulletin. In this case, you have become universally accessible, and everyone benefits from accommodation. That’s a whole other level!
Click to review resources for Disability Awareness Sunday. Plan to take up an offering to support disability grants for churches in the Michigan Conference. If you have any questions, thoughts, or ideas, contact me at [email protected]. We have a seat at the table for you! If you are interested in joining the Division for Disability Concerns, let me know. We would love to have you!
Last Updated on October 14, 2024