By Erin M. Diericx, ‘19

As you stand to preach from the pulpit, how many individuals with disabilities do you see? How many individuals are in wheelchairs? How many individuals use walkers or canes? How many individuals have outbursts during the service? And who is not present? Who has opted to stay home to avoid the glares from others who might not understand them? Who are the homebound? Who cannot drive and cannot get to church? Who makes up your congregation?

As church leaders, we are tasked with meeting the spiritual needs of each individual who walks through the church doors. It can be daunting because each individual has a unique set of gifts and needs. Each individual needs something different from their priest and deacon. Within the disabled community, the same uniqueness of each individual is present. In the United States, the disabled community is the largest minority, and it is also the only minority one might enter and exit at various parts in their lifetime. This is one of the facts I tend to stress when introducing disability theology to groups in order to help level the playing field. Due to the vast scope of the disabled community, agreement within the minority becomes difficult because each characteristic of disability has different needs.

The term “disability'' is arguably one of the hardest to define because each characteristic affects how an individual speaks about disability. What are some of the characteristics of the disabled community?  First, there are the differences between disabilities 1) being acquired before/at birth or during one’s lifetime, 2) also between permanent and temporary, and/or 3) whether acquired naturally as one ages. These variables of when an individual has acquired their disability defines how they handle going forward in life.

Second, the various ways disabilities affect an individual’s movement—the way in which their muscles respond to movement—affect how a person navigates the world around them. The two extremes are 1) being limp and muscles being unable to move independently and 2) spasticity, which causes involuntary movements.  

Third, there are different types of diagnoses: physical, psychosocial, or a mixture of the two. Examples of physical disabilities might be having a limp, Parkinson’s, being paralyzed and in a wheelchair, deafness, blindness, or anything that puts a physical limitation on a person. Examples of psychosocial disabilities are depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, or learning disabilities, such as ADHD or dyslexia. 

These characteristics of the disability community help individuals to know how to support disabled individuals. For example, because of my cerebral palsy, I am a lifelong, permanent member of the disabled community. I know no other lifestyle than the one that includes an electric wheelchair, ramps, oversized keyboards, and the other dozen or so pieces of adaptive equipment scattered around my home. I have friends who are paralyzed and are also permanent members of the disabled community, yet they entered the disabled community later in life and can remember life before being disabled. Both extremes of movement, being limp or being spastic, requires more room for the individual to move themselves or to have others help them with transfers.

As an institution in the world, the church is subject to the norms of the world. There are “proper” ways to enter the church and to participate in the worship service. These proper ways are challenged by disabled individuals who cannot sit in the pews or cannot sit still. These proper ways are challenged by individuals who have outbursts. These proper ways are challenged, which makes those individuals following the norms uncomfortable. And yet disabled and able individuals both crave to hear the good news—God created them and said they were good, and they are forgiven when they repent through Jesus Christ. They have a place reserved in the kingdom of God. The autistic individual craves the rituals during the worship service because church is the one place they know what comes next—the words, the crossing yourself, the bowing, the kneeling, the receiving of communion, and being reminded of God's love. The mother of the autistic child needs one place where she does not have to worry about being glared at, where she is able to rest and worship because God loves us all—disabled and able. The paralyzed man needs to hear his sins are forgiven—that choosing to mend his way of life and accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord grants him absolution. The woman in the wheelchair needs access to the holy place where she feels God’s love.

Over the next few months, I will be writing articles for The Chapter on the disabled community, how to interact with disabled individuals and how the church can strive to reach and welcome these individuals into the Christian community. Along the way, I will introduce different aspects of disability theology. The next few articles will explain the various characteristics of the disabled community and how these impact the individuals and their loved ones. 

Introduction to Disability Theology: The Terms

As  mentioned earlier, due to the vast scope within the disabled community, it can be difficult to agree on definitions and terms, but here are a few differentiations to consider:

1. Whether a disability is acquired before/at birth or at a distinct point during one’s lifetime

2. Whether a disability is permanent or temporary

3. Whether a disability is acquired naturally as one ages

These distinctions of when an individual has acquired their disability often determine how they handle going forward in life. Individuals who acquire their disabilities before or at birth tend to know no other way to live and adopt different ways of doing various life skills, whereas individuals who acquire their disabilities later in life usually struggle to change their thinking and to adjust to the adaptations required for daily life functions. 

Individuals born with their disabilities often struggle with why God would allow them to be born different and try to fit in a society where the norm says they do not fit. In school, children with disabilities are often bullied and struggle to assimilate with their peers because they spend more time with adults, thanks to frequent doctor and therapy appointments. Church leaders must reinforce the fact that when God created the disabled child, he said that child was good, just as when he created Adam and Eve and said they were good (Genesis 1). 

The differentiation between a temporary or a permanent member of the disabled community determines how long one is a member of the disabled community. Examples of temporary disabilities are broken limbs, heart complications, breathing issues, etc. For instance, a person who breaks their foot is considered to be disabled according to the State and is eligible to apply for a temporary handicap permit. Church leaders have the opportunity to show how these temporary disabilities are ways to showcase God's glory in the world. 

The next two distinctions are more difficult to minister to because it depends on the person’s disposition. An individual can become permanently disabled without warning in a car, diving, and any other accident. As with losing a loved one, these individuals must endure the stages of grief and find ways to accept their new life as a disabled person. They can no longer do the activities they used to; they even have to relearn the basics, such as dressing, eating (even swallowing), and speaking. This dramatic change in their lives can lead to a wide range of responses to becoming disabled. Some individuals question if they are being punished for a past sin (guilt), while others become angry with God for allowing them to become disabled. Blaming another person, such as a drunk driver, for causing the accident and ultimately their newly obtained disability is also a common response. Church leaders must take the time to listen to the individual who is newly disabled before offering insights, as they might with other pastoral care situations. Most of the time these individuals need a word of forgiveness—that they are forgiven by God when they repent, to forgive themselves, and to forgive others—to allow love into their hearts. These individuals also need to be reminded that they are still loved by God and have self worth.

Individuals who are fortunate to grow old often obtain disabilities, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, or the expected breaking down of their body, naturally. As individuals grow older, they slow down, have problems with memory, and generally need assistance from their adult children or caregivers at some level. Think about your own past or current congregations. Consider the lady who used to keep the altar prim and proper—washing and ironing the fair linens, changing the super frontal and other banners in the sanctuary, and washing and replacing the chancel and paten. Now, after suffering a stroke, she can barely walk up to the altar to receive communion. Think about the gentlemen who used to be on speed-dial to complete simple repairs at the church. Remember how he used to carry the tallest ladder and climb up to change the light bulbs in the sanctuary? And now his daughter pushes him in the wheelchair into the sanctuary on Sunday mornings. These are the individuals within your congregation who are loved by all and have aged into the disability community.

With any aging individual who is slowing down and is starting to need some extra help, it’s common to resist relinquishing their independence because in the past they were the ones taking care of others. Now they are the ones needing help. Yet, I think there is a reason that Job and the psalmists encourage the younger generations to seek the wisdom of the elders. They may not be physically strong anymore, but they have lived and experienced various situations in life and often have the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom about what does and what doesn’t work in life and in the church. As these saints age, their wisdom becomes more valuable than their strength. Church leaders and others have an opportunity to sit and listen to and learn from their elders—especially those who have been long-time members of a specific congregation, those who have been active members and know the unique patterns of that particular community.This can help (hopefully) ease the pain of losing their physical independence because they now have a new calling: to share their knowledge, understanding, and wisdom with the next generations to continue the work in the church and the world.

No matter what the terms of the individual’s disability, they need to know and feel God’s forgiveness, grace, and love. The human experience is something all individuals share, and the disabled experience is one that almost everyone faces at some part in their lives. 

Erin M. Diericx is a daughter of the House since 2019. She is currently working on a Master’s of Sacred Theology from Nashotah House (2022). 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.