After six weeks of social distancing and taking so many extra precautions to keep ourselves safe, the discussions now have shifted to the topic of re-entry. Our churches are praying and planning about what's to come in the summer and beyond. But our ministries serve a vulnerable population, so as we plan we need to take their concerns into consideration. In today's email, I'll share a few considerations specific to disability ministry, ways to serve while we continue our time apart, and how to continue this conversation!
There are two things special-needs families need from the churches they attend. They need to know they are safe and they need to believe they are loved. (I wrote an article for Key Ministry about this back in 2016 that's still true today. Read it here.) Even as our churches make plans for reopening following the guidelines suggested, the plans we make for the families we serve may be different. Our families may be the last ones to come back. And when they are ready, we need to have a plan in place to answer their first question: will my child be safe?
Here are some of the concerns that are specific to special-needs ministry:
The kids we serve often aren't able to social distance. This is true for some of the kids in our regular classes who have buddies and for most of the kids in our sensory rooms.
Some kids aren't able to cover their mouths when they sneeze or cough. They may lack the ability to properly wash their hands.
We have kids who often put toys in their mouths or may drink from someone's cup without noticing. We'll need to take extra steps to make sure everything is clean and sanitary.
Our routine-loving kids won't know what to expect, adding to their anxeity. The adjustment back to the routine may be extra challenging for them. Or, they may want to get back to what the normal routine was and that will have changed.
Some of our volunteers may also have health concerns that will keep them from serving when churches open again.
On a webinar last week on the topic, Doc Hunsley of SOAR said we need to lead with our heads on this decision not with our hearts. And I agree.
So what steps can we take as we lead with our heads?
We can communicate our families' extra concerns to the church staff so they know to take them into consideration. (And so they know that you may take things slower than they want to.)
We can take extra measures to clean and communicate those measures to our families. This extra cleaning needs to happen before our families arrive, while our kids are playing, and after they leave.
In some cases, asking the teachers and volunteers to wear masks or do temperature checks may be reasonable. If you have a child with a compromised immune system and the buddy who is usually with him/her is willing, wearing a mask might help the parents feel more comfortable.
We will have to help our kids have better hand washing techniques. We plan to post a social story about hand washing and have an adult overseeing the process.
We may need to meet in even smaller groups than we are used to. Our usual class size in our sensory rooms is 2 adults with 3-6 kids. We may need to limit the class size to 3 kids and add additional adult help.
With these considerations in mind, talk to your church staff and leadership about a plan you believe is reasonable and safe. Right now, our church is hoping to offer services at half capacity starting in June. But children and youth classes and activities may not resume until the end of summer. We will keep utilizing video lessons for those groups and plan for smaller activities off site (like at parks, or for the youth, at restaurants when they reopen). We can work with the children and youth ministers at our churches to modify what they are doing for our kids. For example, if they plan to do VBS in homes and provide parents with activities and lessons, we can make sure the special-needs families have what they need to include all the kids.
Let's ask God for wisdom during this time and do all we can to help our families feel safe when they are ready to return. But let's also keep serving them until they are ready! Here are a few ideas that we're doing or I've heard of other churches doing to bless them. (You may want to start thinking about how to bless parents for Mother's Day and Father's Day using these ideas!)
Activity boxes: this week I ordered toys I know our kids will like and books on their level to deliver to their houses. I hope having something new to play with and read will help them cope.
Gift cards: a gift care in the mail would be a huge blessing to families right now, especially to places you know they shop.
Meals delivered: you can contact the family about having a meal delivered to them, keeping in mind the dietary restrictions they may have.
Respite care in the homes when we're able to do that again: we usually do rEcess respite nights at the church, but since we won't be able to do those again for the foreseeable future, when it's safe, we plan to provide a respite night for our families in their homes.
Ongoing personal contact: we can't grow weary in reaching out. Even if every week they say they are doing "fine," you may call on the one week they aren't "fine" and you'll be able to provide hope and comfort. You can switch up that personal contact as we head into the summer. You can call, text, email, or send a card.
I hope these ideas are helpful as you plan for re-entry! What plan do you have in place as we welcome the families back to church? Let us know in the comments!
Sandra Peoples is a special-needs mom and sibling. She and her family live outside of Houston, TX where she serves her church as the director of special-needs ministry. She’s the author of Unexpected Blessings: The Joys and Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family and the host of the podcast, Self Care and Soul Care for the Caregiver. You can connect with her at sandrapeoples.com.
