Many of the concepts that the general population have experienced for the first time in 2020 are all too familiar to some in the disability community. The new reality that many of us are experiencing for the first time is all too familiar for many families living with disabilities who face manifold barriers to leave their home on a typical day. So what if we took this opportunity to re-imagine a church that was accessible to 100% of people—rather than just the 85% who don’t live with disabilities?
How Disruption Can Teach Us to Include People with Disabilities
By now, disruption has become a familiar friend to each of us. But though coronavirus may be new, the concept of disruption—whether from a global pandemic, broken washing machines, or relational strife—is not. In much of scripture, it seems that God uses precisely the disruption that we hate to jolt his people out of negative patterns—whether it be their blatant worship of idols or their comfortable but self-serving career paths. God does not waste these disruptions.
What Happens When We Can't?
With the spread of COVID-19, we have all found ourselves in the position of not being able to gather together for corporate worship. Christians all over the world have found themselves facing very serious “can’t.” So, what happens when there is a collision between practicing my faith and the reality of life with a disability? What do I do when I can’t?