People with disabilities in religious communities [MIPodcast #94]

Almost fifty million people in the United States live with some type of physical or intellectual disability. That’s one in five. In this special episode, twelve distinguished guests—scholars, organizers, religious leaders, writers—join us to talk about how we can create communities of belonging where people with disabilities and everyone else can feel welcome.

This panel discussion took place during the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability at Hope College.

Learn more about disability resources in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at disability.churchofjesuschrist.org. The video referenced during the episode is available here.

About the Guests

(in order of appearance)

Devan Stahl
Assistant professor in the Department of Religion at Baylor University. Stahl studies intersections between disability studies, theology, and bioethics.

Munorwei Chirovamavi
Executive director of “To Love a Child” in Zimbabwe, a ministry providing pre-school children with a secure and caring environment while feeding their minds, bodies and spirit. He is also a Baptist pastor and theological educator.Neil Cudney
Director of organizational and spiritual life for Christian Horizons, an organization which supports people with disabilities in Canada and four other countries.Katie Steed
Disability Specialist manager for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Reverend Christopher Rajkumar
Director of the Indian Disability Ecumenical Accompaniment. He is an ordained minister of the Church of South India and a theological educator and writer.Andy Calder
A minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. He is the Disability Inclusion Advocate with the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. He is the 2019 recipient of the Henri Nouwen Award, awarded by the Spirituality and Religion Division of the AAIDD.John Swinton
An ordained minister of the Church of Scotland and the Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the School of Divinity, History, and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen. He founded the university’s Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. His most recent book is Becoming Friends of Time: Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship.Topher Endress
Doctoral candidate and Fellow at University of Aberdeen Centre for Spirituality, Health, and Disability.Jill Harshaw
Part-time lecturer in Practical Theology and Disability Theology at Queen’s University Belfast. She is author of God Beyond Words: Christian Theology and the Spiritual Experiences of People with Profound Intellectual Disabilities.Shelly Christensen, MA
A pioneer in the faith community disability inclusion movement. She is an international speaker and consultant to numerous faith-based organizations. Shelly’s newest book, From Longing to Belonging: A Practical Guide to Including People with Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions in Your Faith Community, is a resource for all faith-based organizations and service support agencies to enhance and encourage participation and inclusion for each and every person. Shelly is co-founder and organizer of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM).

Barbara J. Newman
Director of church services for All Belong: Center for Inclusive Education as well as a special education consultant to Christian and Catholic schools. Barbara is a national speaker and author of several books including Accessible Gospel, Inclusive Worship.Bill Gaventa
Director of Summer Institute on Theology and Disability and an ordained American Baptist minister. For eighteen years he was associate professor at the Rutgers Medical School in the Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities. He now serves as a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author.

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