Indispensable People
Making the Gospel Accessible to people of ALL abilities so that they may know Christ, grow in Him, and serve Him with the gifts He has given them.
Indispensable People
Intellectual Disabilities in Faith Communities
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When we speak about the church, we often leave out our brothers and sisters living with intellectual disabilities. With a staggering 85% of them feeling left out of our church communities, we are compelled to ask: Are we truly being accommodating and inclusive? We embark on a journey to understand intellectual disabilities better, to debunk common misconceptions, and to highlight the importance of making our faith communities all-inclusive.
We are reminded that God knows His people. This life-changing encounter opened our eyes to the power of inclusive worship and the resilience of faith amid disability. We may not have all the answers, but this conversation surely emphasizes our duty to present everyone with the opportunity to experience God's love and grace.
Hi, my name is Tracy Coral and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a wife, mom, teacher, pastor and missionary, and I believe that every person should have the opportunity to know Christ, row in Him and serve Him with the gifts that he has given, no matter their ability. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 25% of the population. However, over 80% of them are not inside the walls of our church. Let's dive into those hard topics biblical foundations, perceptions and world-changing ideas.
Speaker 1:Hey, thanks for joining me, and today we're going to be talking about intellectual disabilities. Well, first of all, let's talk some statistics. Approximately 6.5 million people in the United States have an intellectual disability. Approximately 1 to 3% of the global population has an intellectual disability. That's about as many as 200 million people. An intellectual disability is found in 16 out of every 1,000 people, and some of the most common intellectual disabilities include Down syndrome. Fetal alcohol syndrome, fragile X genetic conditions. Other birth defects and infections can cause an intellectual disability.
Speaker 1:So what is an intellectual disability? It's a term used when there are limits to a person's ability to learn at the expected level and function in everyday life, so it impacts their daily life. Autism, intellectual disability vary greatly. It's just such a vast grouping of people that just can't be put in a box because they just don't fit any specific mold. Obviously, just like autism or ADHD, there are some typical things that kind of you can tick the boxes to say that they fit within that thing. So, with all disabilities, I always like to remind people that they need to consider that it also includes people who have personalities that are God-given and they also grow up in environments that impact the way that they live their life. So it's not just the disability that makes the impact.
Speaker 1:So what are some of those things that are commonality that you might see in very, very young children? Maybe their ability to sit up, crawl or walk happens a little later in life. The same with talking. Or maybe they have difficulty in their speaking. They might find it hard to remember some things or have trouble, kind of in the social context, understanding different kinds of social rules. They have trouble seeing that their actions have consequences. They might have trouble problem solving. A lot of some of those last couple things. If you've ever heard the term executive functioning, that has a lot to do with the solving problems and understanding consequences for actions and as well as dealing in social situations.
Speaker 1:An intellectual disability is a lifelong condition. Early intervention and consistent ongoing intervention helps improve the functioning and enable the person to thrive in their lifetime. So there are supports and services that include early intervention this happens with infants and toddlers special education, family support, transition services when a child moves from childhood to adulthood, vocational programs, day programs for adults. Also optional or different opportunities for living conditions, such as housing and residential options where support is provided. A lot of times people with intellectual disabilities have other conditions as well, so let's kind of dive into what some of those are. Many times someone with an intellectual disability may also have autism or ADHD. They may have what's called impulse control disorder, depression or anxiety. Those are some of the common things.
Speaker 1:I'm going to read you a quote that I came across that I haven't decided how I feel about it quite yet. Maybe, as I talk it out with you, I will. It says Most churches are good at including those with intellectual disabilities. They may have special classes, services or ministries for those with intellectual disabilities. It is good and noble to include those with disabilities in the life of the church, but this cannot be all that we do.
Speaker 1:I agree and disagree with some of those statements. I would say. For some people it is a lot easier to minister to someone with an intellectual disability than maybe a mental health diagnosis. On the other hand, not many churches have special classes or services or ministries. The statistics are that almost 85% or more people with disabilities don't attend churches. The reasons that they don't is that there is no place for them.
Speaker 1:Then we go on to another part of the quote that it says it is good and noble to include those with disabilities in the life of the church. I guess this is where we give ourselves a pat on the back because we care for God's people. I liken this statement to the comment of it takes a special person. No, listen guys, it doesn't take a special person. It takes someone who is called and to serve with the love of God. That is it Serve people, love people like Jesus would. It doesn't take a special person. We are not noble because we do it, but it is because it is God's people and we are called to serve them.
Speaker 1:Now here's the last part of that that I do agree with. It says, but that this cannot be all we do. Right, Providing special classes, providing services, cannot be all that we do. We do have to find ways to include people with all kinds of abilities into the different events and ministries within our church. It doesn't mean that we're trying to stick a round peg in a square hole. That isn't what we're talking about. What we're talking about is opening the opportunities that maybe the ministry that was the square hole becomes around so that it accommodates and works for everyone to be able to participate. This can be as simple as putting visuals up on the screens on a Sunday morning during the sermon, or it could be passing out sensory bags with fidgets and schedules, visual schedules or even providing noise canceling headphones or earbuds to protect from loud noises. All of those things are what's kind of shaving that square hole and making it a little bit rounded so that everyone else can fit a little bit better.
Speaker 1:One of the biggest questions that I get, or maybe the misunderstandings or misconceptions, is asking the question but what if they don't understand the gospel? Here's the thing Mark 1615 says go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature, Every creature. He didn't say except for that one, except for that one. They might not understand, they might not get it, and I'm going to share with you a story that I might have already shared, but I was a caregiver at one of the camps that the ministry that I serve under does and I had the opportunity of serving a young lady who she had never left home, never had been away from parents for an extended period of time, and she was nonverbal and was diagnosed with Down syndrome and her parents were very, very nervous to leave her but they gave me some different instructions on what might help. She could shake her head, yes or no, but also, you know, I had to guide her with her hand from place to place. We had health hands all week long and she didn't go anywhere that I didn't take her, and by the end of the week we had participated in games and chapels and services and all kinds of things where she would have had opportunity to hear the gospel.
Speaker 1:And I was kind of talking to God on the last service and I was just sitting there waiting for service to start and I was just telling God you know, listen, I have no idea what she's learned, I have no idea what she has gained from this week and honestly, God, you don't have to tell me that's not a responsibility you have to carry, it's between you and her. And at the end of that service, the leadership had called up the ministry leadership to pray for people who responded to the altar. And so I went up and I was praying with someone and I turned and there was the girl that I had spent the week with um, leading her by the hand from place to place, standing in front of me. She had gotten up and come to the altar on her own and I had what was called a CIT, which is a caregiver in training. It's a teen, 14 to 17, that serves as a part of our program and, um, she is standing behind her, shaking her head and mouthing the words I didn't bring her.
Speaker 1:And so, um, I was so excited to have her respond to the altar and I started to pray with her and tell her how much God loves her and how precious she is to him. And she, for the first time, made direct eye contact and she smiled and started giggling. And I knew right at that moment that was God saying I've got this, I've got her, I don't need you, I don't need all the fancy things, I don't need her intellect, All I need is her heart. And in that moment he was saying I have her heart and that's all I need. I don't need um all the fancy, whatever fru fru things God showed me. He gave me proof in his word, first of all to tell me that his word is for all people, but then he also gave me a personal experience where I could see how his word penetrates the hearts of his people, and that is what we need to focus on, Not the um. What will they, what could they, what don't they? But we need to have faith and believe that God will speak to his people and he will do it in ways where they can respond in the way that he created them. But let me not forget to tell you that through this week, there were strategies that were used to help reach and teach the people about God and his word, and that was through music, that was through movement, that was through visuals, that was through dramas and skits, that was also through um things that they could read and see and experience. All of those things went into teaching and opening the opportunity for God to move.
Speaker 1:We don't take it lightly that providing multiple ways to make connections in the brain throughout any type of lesson will be a benefit to the people that we serve and the people that we impact with the gospel, whether that's inside the walls of our church or someone we meet on the street or at a restaurant, any of those opportunities that we can do something other than just a verbal direct or a reading. The brain works in this way for all people the more connections you can make, the more optimal learning you get and the memory that sticks. And I can tell you that I have interacted with hundreds of people with intellectual disabilities and I can tell you that they make connections, that they can remember things. I will tell you another story about a gentleman who came to my church for what we call respite nights. It's a time for parents to relax and we get to provide volunteers to care for their children, whether they're little kids or they're full grown adults, and so on this particular night we're doing something different than we normally ever do. Typically, we have a service at the beginning of every one of our respite nights, and it's an abbreviated service that we do music, so we have some worship time and then we do a message, which typically has a game and some type of skit or drama that is included in it. So on this particular day, like I said, we switched things up and we decided to do a movie night instead. So that meant we weren't having a service and a gentleman came in and he had been a part of respite for probably a couple of years at that point and he is non-verbal, he uses a wheelchair for mobility and he has an intellectual disability and when you add all of those things up, honestly he is discounted on a regular basis. However, he knows when mom and dad say they're going to respite. He knows the direction the car is going and we'll get mad at them if they don't go in the proper way, If they're making a stop on the way to respite. He also is extremely happy. One of the times he tried to stand up out of the vehicle to walk in, to get inside, because he loves it so much. Again, he uses a wheelchair and he tried to get up and stand and come in. So here's what I can tell you.
Speaker 1:On that particular night, my son, my oldest son, was his buddy and he is this particular guy. He likes to move around, he likes to go, he loves the space that our church has to offer and he moves around a lot, and so my son is in the hallway with him and sending me a text going mom, he really wants to go to the fellowship, Like he keeps trying to go in that direction. And our rules are no buddies are by themselves with another person. And so my son knew he couldn't take him there on his own. So he sent me a text and so I went with him and my son Nathan says mom, I think you really want service, because this is the space we always have service in. That's where he's trying to go. And so we took him in there and he goes up to the TV screens and he's lifting his hands like he's praising, because a lot of times we do our praise and worship through videos if I don't have a worship team. And so I said, Nathan, let's give him service. And so we turned on some worship music and we worship together and we prayed.
Speaker 1:Tell me that, because he has an intellectual disability, because he's nonverbal, because he uses a wheelchair, tell me how any of that impacted his response to God, what he knew, that when he came into that building, God is there, that God moves and that he can respond. That was a choice in that moment that again solidified in me, in knowing how God's speaks to his people and he speaks to their hearts and the barriers that we see are not barriers for God. We just have to think outside the box, give opportunities to present the gospel and let God do his work. Do I know everything about disability ministry? Do I have all the answers? Have I done everything perfectly? I've absolutely not, but we are going to continue this conversation so that people of all abilities can have the opportunity to know Christ, grow in him and serve him with the gifts that he has given them.
