By Erin M Diericx, ‘20

Each individual moves about their routines in their own unique way. When an individual gets up, he usually goes to the bathroom, makes coffee, and gets ready for his day. But what happens when you need help to get out of bed and to go to the bathroom? What happens if you cannot move your own body or if your muscles move uncontrollably? How do you navigate throughout your day?

Disabilities affect an individual’s movements in multiple ways, depending on how their muscles respond to movement. The two extremes are 1) being limp and muscles being unable to move independently and 2) spastic movements which cause involuntary movements. Being paralyzed causes muscles to be limp and unable to move independently; individuals who are paralyzed have to move their legs and feet with their arms, and individuals who are quadriplegics have to be physically moved by another person in order to avoid getting pressure sores. On the other end of the spectrum, individuals who are spastic cannot always control their movements. Individuals who have spastic movements have to use a lot of energy to control their movements in order to perform specific tasks, such as eating or even swallowing.

Disabilities tend to cause movements to be exaggerated. For example, while everyone self stimulates to some degree, like drumming your fingers or repeatedly clicking a pen, individuals with autism tend to use big movements to self stimulate, such as rocking, flapping their hands, and pulling hair, in order to adapt to a new situation, decrease sensory overload, or express frustration. These coping mechanisms are often seen as disruptive by others who do not understand the behaviors. Like individuals with spastic movements who need more room to move and do activities, individuals who are autistic and self stimulate need more room to do so. In both cases, these individuals take up a bigger footprint due to their movements than their able bodied counterparts. 

Disabled individuals also tend to leave a bigger footprint because of their need for various equipment in order to live their everyday lives. For example, let’s examine how I have access to my water cups. With my spastic and unpredictable movements, I do not dare pick up a full glass of liquid, especially one without a lid, with the expectation of taking a drink. I promise it would end up on the floor—making more work for personal caregivers than needed. Instead, my personal caregivers filled two twenty-four ounce cups, each with a straw, and placed them in a small box that my dad built for me. This enables me 1) to have enough water available to drink until my next personal caregiver comes, 2) to drink without having to pick up a cup, 3) to knock the cups with my spastic arms without spilling them, and 4) to move the box of cups from my kitchen table to my office desk and back again without spilling them. When I am at a meeting or in a class, I usually need a six-foot table in order to accommodate my drink box, my laptop with an oversized keyboard, and (hopefully soon) an  AAC (computerized voice) device, which all accommodates my big movements. One may find this explanation tedious and a nuisance, especially for an academic paper; however, when working with disabled individuals, one must consider the most minor physical movements. 

For churches, the question becomes, How can churches create accessible sacred spaces? The obvious answer is to build ramps, install an elevator, have accessible bathrooms, wider doorways and hallways, etc. The proactive approach would be to have a conversation with individuals with disabilities who attend or visit your church. Ask these individuals if there’s anything that you could do to make their time at church more comfortable. Is there a specific chair that is more comfortable for them? This could simply be a chair with arms or a higher seat height for an elderly person. For an individual who cannot sit still, it may mean having wobble chairs available. For individuals in wheelchairs, half of a pew or a chair may need to be removed. And since we are discussing chairs, having rocking chairs for new parents and grandparents in the congregation helps to build community. For autistic individuals, having a quiet room where they can go without a question gives them a safe space when they are over stimulated. This simply could be an office or the library, which is changed into a quiet space on Sundays. These easy accommodations tell disabled individuals that they are an important part of the congregation and, more importantly, they are welcome and have a safe space to be themselves. 

In the comments below, share how your congregation or community has made accommodations for disabled individuals. How has your congregation welcomed disabled individuals? How does your church plan to become more inviting for disabled individuals? 

Erin M. Diericx is a daughter of the House since 2020. The preceding post is the second in a series written by Ms. Diericx. To read the first post, please visit this link on the Chapter. She is currently working on a Master’s of Sacred Theology from Nashotah House (STM, ‘22). She earned a Certificate of Anglican Studies in 2020. She also earned a Master’s in New Testament from Luther Seminary in 2009. Her research interests lie in disability theology and how society and the church can use the abilities of all individuals—able or disabled alike. Ms. Diericx acknowledges the difficulties of writing about the disabled community because of all the variety within it. Yet, through these articles, Ms. Diericx is hoping to assist church leaders and others to gain insights to the disabled community and ways to minister to, with, and through its members. Feel free to email her with questions and comments at ediericx@nashotah.edu.