create accessibility
How might paying attention to accessibility, and who's experiences are welcomed, further the Kingdom here in your community today?
Psalm 146:8
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
Most of us are simply not able to heal people when they are living with disabilities, chronic pain, and mental or physical illness. And passages like these that talk about healing can be complicated.
What relationship do we have to disability and healing?
Disability justice teaches that “all bodies have strengths and needs that must be met” (from Sins Invalid). An individual’s ability isn’t what creates disability. Disability is created when people are cut off from their community, culture, basic needs, and support systems because they are inaccessible to them.
Sometimes, communities can spend a lot of focus on fixing and healing people while focusing less on inclusion and changing our practices so that people can access our communities and belong.
In lieu of healing people, where might you, your work, or your community have the opportunity to create more adaptable practices so that they are accessible to more communities?
— Theo Isoz
Thank you for uplifting this vital issue! One of my favorite things to do with faith communities is encourage them to notice disability in scripture that isn’t “healed” — such as Moses’ speech impairment, Jesus’s resurrection wounds, or the disabled guests at the Luke 14 banquet. When we broaden our imaginations, hopefully our hearts will follow, and we’ll get to work making our spaces more like God’s all-access banquet 🌈