ArticleBlog | Disability, friendship and inclusion
Disability, friendship and inclusion
Author: Andy PeckPost Date: 23.09.22
When Jesus was in the upper room, he said to his disciples ‘I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you’ [John 15:15 ANIV]. Jesus is offering a radical change in the relationship between himself and his disciples. Rather than the asymmetric relationship of teacher and disciples, he is offering them the mutual relationship of being friends.
In contrast to such mutual friendships the experience of many disabled people is one of loneliness, often accompanied by unemployment, poor housing and lack of support. Churches are able to offer hope to disabled people who have been marginalized by society. There are, however, some barriers that may prevent the inclusion of disabled people in church communities, or restrict their involvement to being passive observers rather than active participants.
Firstly, there are issues of language that can exclude disabled people. Outdated language such as ‘handicap’ or ‘cripple’ is still sometimes used, and this alienates and excludes disabled people. It is far better to use ‘disabled people’ or ‘people with a disability’. Some people suggest terms like ‘differently abled’, but these tend to be rather cumbersome. Of greater importance is to talk to disabled people rather than to their companion and to avoid talking about them. Ask and use their name wherever possible.
When preaching or leading services, it is important to think carefully about the language we use. The frequently used phrase ‘Please stand,’ excludes those who cannot stand up to sing or listen to a gospel reading. The phrase ‘Please stand if you are able,’ is a more inclusive expression to use. Theological language is full of metaphors and some of these can be problematic, for instance the frequent use of ‘seeing’ to indicate understanding and ‘blindness’ to indicate lack of understanding. We need to remember that not everyone can ‘stand before God’ or ‘walk with God’ as many passages, songs and thorny issue of the passages in scripture where physical healing is the apparent focus of attention. These passages, particularly in the gospels, often reveal far more about Jesus than the person he is encountering.
