Unit 1

Understanding Disabilities (Video Transcript)

Amber: I like to play basketball how about you?
Ian: I like to talk how about you?
Mia: I love hanging out with my friends how about you?
Mia was born with muscular dystrophy which basically that means some of her muscles are
getting weaker rather than stronger.
Ian's legs aren't strong either that's why he uses a wheelchair. He may not be able to run up
and down the soccer field but he's really good at drawing. In fact he's really good at a lot of
things.
A disability is a condition that affects a person's body or brain
Mia and Ian have disabilities that you can see but some people have disabilities that you
can't see like me.
Amber has dyslexia. This causes letters on a page to look scrambled. It takes her
longer to read and learn than her friends and sometimes have to leave the classroom to get
extra help from a different teacher, but you know what she doesn't need any extra help on
the basketball court
She can even dribble between her legs.
We're all alike in some ways and different in other ways that's what makes us special
Amber: I like being me how about you?

Did you
know.......
• About 1 billion or 15% of
the world’s Population
has a disability (WHO)
• 80% of People with
disabilities live in
developing countries
(WHO)
• But only 5 to 10% of
people with disabilities
are effectively reached
with the gospel
(Lausanne paper)
Why do you think this is?
• People with disabilities around the
world are largely unreached with the
gospel due to the fear and lack of
understanding surrounding disabilities
• The perception of people with
disabilities is often very negative due
to the lack of understanding about the
causes of disabilities as well as the
consequences of the disability.
Therefore people with disabilities are
often excluded from their community,
from education and employment
opportunities, and even from the
church.
• Other challenges in terms of gospel
inclusion might be physical
accessibility as well as communication
barriers – people either not being able
to communicate the gospel in the way
a person can understand, or not
feeling confident in their ability to
communicate.

So how was your

perception of
disability formed?
Spend a few minutes thinking about how your
perception of disabilities was formed as a child?
Did you know anyone with a disability as you
grew up? What was the response in your
community to that person – were they included
as part of the community or were there negative
attitudes towards that person?
Maybe there were stories being told about that
person that influenced your perception or
understanding of disability. Or maybe you grew
up amongst a family that went out of their way to
shower love upon people with disabilities in your
community and that influenced you in a positive
way.
• Our view or opinion of something is formed through our beliefs and judgements as well as our
experience of the
culture around us and the values we are taught or we see in play from influential people around us. If the
people
around us have a positive view of disability, we are likely to also develop a positive view and this will
influence our
responses towards people with disabilities that we meet. If we grow up amongst people who hold a
negative view
of disability, this will likely influence our responses towards people with disabilities in a negative way.
• People’s attitudes towards disability often appears to be one of the most significant factors affecting
disability
inclusion.
• A Biblical attitude towards disability though, as seen in Luke 14, shows us God’s heart for people with
disabilities to
be welcomed into God’s Kingdom, in order that His house might be full.
Rick Hansen is a Canadian Paralympic Athlete who said the following:
So, then, if God’s heart is for us to include people affected by
disability in all that we are doing through our ministries, and in
the body of Christ then what would inclusion look like?
In the top left of our picture here (to the right) we have
exclusion – so we are not even inviting people with disabilities
to be a part of our ministries/churches.
In the second picture we have segregation, so maybe we
recognise the needs of people with disabilities and so we put
on a separate programme for them, separate from the
programme we run for those without disabilities.
Then in the third picture, we have invited people with
disabilities to the same programme/group as those without
disabilities, they are here in the room, but we have a separate
area for them and are not really interacting with them.
Then in the last picture we have inclusion, we have invited
people with disabilities along to our ministry/church, and we
have taken down any barriers they might have faced in order
that they can fully and effectively participate in all the activities
on an equal basis with others. This is what we want to see. I
am not saying that it will be easy, it won’t, there are often
barriers there that we do not even see are there until we have
someone with a disability in our midst. Some of the barriers are
listed here on the next page:
From Exclusion to Inclusion
Barriers to inclusion
• Social barriers: Negative attitudes,
stigma and discrimination, leads to
exclusion from community life,
education, health, and work. Lack of
self-confidence and low self-
esteem. Gender can also be a barrier
• Environmental barriers: Inaccessible
infrastructure, buildings (schools,
hospitals, workplaces), toilets, roads
and transport
• Communication barriers: lack of
information in accessible formats,
increases isolation, risk,
vulnerability and limits participation
• Economic Barriers: Cycle of poverty-
no education, no work, no income, no
access to health services, no assistive
devices, greater poverty
• Institutional barriers: Inadequate
policies and strategy, lack of
knowledge and skills, poor inclusive
design and budgeting
Barriers to Inclusion in Practice
As you start this disability training, find a notebook and spend a few minutes
thinking about your church or the ministry you are involved in and note down
some barriers to disability that you can already identify. As you work through the
training, keep checking back to your notes, adding other barriers that come to
mind or noting down potential ways these barriers could be reduced or
overcome.
The language we
use can also
influence
perception of
disability and
influence barriers
to inclusion.
Wheelchair bound
The deaf
Hearing impaired Retarded
Handicapped
Suffering from Dumb
Disabled people
Blind Wheelchair user
Crippled
Person with disability
Language:
Our words have power
Look at the following words and write down 2 lists
on a piece of paper as to which ones you think
are appropriate to use and which ones are not.
The way that we talk about disability can have an empowering/disempowering effect on participants of our
programmes and how included people with disabilities feel. The language we use also reflects our
attitudes and the
way we refer to people with disabilities can send powerful messages (positive or negative) into the
community
• DO NOT say:
• The disabled, the handicapped, the crippled
• Normal (when used as the opposite of
disabled)
• Able bodied (when used as the opposite of
disabled)
• Defective/maimed
• Lame
• Deaf and dumb, or deaf mute
• Hunchbacked
• Dwarf
• Retarded or mentally retarded
• DO say:
• People/Persons with disabilities and disabled
people
• Non-disabled person. When normal is used
as the opposite of disabled it implies that a
disability is abnormal
• Impaired, injured
• Person who is mobility-impaired or person
with mobility impairment
• Deaf person, person who is hard of hearing,
hearing-impaired, person with speech
impairment
• People/person with a spinal curvature
• People/person with a short stature
• Person with intellectual disability, person with
a developmental or learning disability
When you are not sure what terms to use regarding persons with disabilities, an issue relating to
disability or the experience of being disabled, ask the individual or if it is a young child with a disability,
their parents' what terms they prefer – and then use that. And as is true for any older child, a child with a
disability should be spoken to directly and allowed to have his or her own voice heard.
Definition of Disability
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities (an international human
rights convention which sets out the fundamental
human rights of people with disability) defines
disability as:
Persons with disabilities include those who
have long-term physical, mental, intellectual
or sensory impairments which in
interaction with various barriers may
hinder their full and effective participation in
society on an equal basis with others.
Impairment + Barriers = Disability
A person with an impairment may experience
different levels of inclusion and participation
depending on the external environment and socio-
cultural norms of where they are
QUIZ

Please read the following case study then match up some of the barriers
Jackson is facing with the impact that has on Jackson.
Jackson was born into a large family in a rural community in Zambia. His
father worked on a farm about 3 hours walk from the family home so he
stayed away Monday to Friday. Jackson’s Mum was out working locally
whenever she could so that she could keep the family fed each day
which meant Jackson was often left at home alone while his parents
were at work and his siblings were at school. Within his first year his
parents realised something was 'not right with him.' He did not seem to
move his right leg and right arm in the same way he moved his left side
as his muscles on the right side seemed stiff. There was only a small
clinic locally and they could not tell the family what was going on but
just that they had to wait and see what would happen.
He was late in his development but did learn to walk eventually, although a
little awkwardly, and only short distances, and he could do very little
with his right hand due to very tight muscles which made many daily
tasks a challenge. Jackson was now 14 years of age and had never been
to school. The local school was over an hour walk away on very sandy
roads which Jackson could not manage as he does not have a
wheelchair. Other teenagers in the community were either at school or
had jobs working on the farms to bring extra money in for the family so
Jackson often feels very lonely and isolated.
Jackson’s grandparents no longer came to visit them at home, believing
that Jackson’s Mum had brought shame upon the whole extended family
by giving birth to a child with such a ‘deformity.’ . In fact, there were
many stories being circulated around the community about Jackson and
what had caused him to be born with a disability. Jackson’s siblings
were often teased at school and not invited to join in the many
playground games the other children so enjoyed. This often made them
feel resentful towards their brother.
Jackson’s family lives in a very small house with 2 rooms, an outside toilet,
and a leaking roof. The house was on the very edge of the community,
 they had moved house 3 times since Jackson had been born, having
been forced out of their previous, more suitable homes by neighbours or
landlords who did not want to be associated with, or live in close
proximity to the family.
Jackson's family used to belong to the local church but when Jackson was
young the family noticed over time that people at the church seemed to
keep their distance and they were no longer invited to events or asked
to help with duties within the church. When they entered the worship
service on a Sunday morning many people would stare and start
speaking amongst themselves which made Jackson's parents reluctant
to bring Jackson with them to church. They continued going to church
without Jackson but they did not feel any more welcomed than they had
done when Jackson was with them so over time they stopped attending
church altogether.
Sandy roads, distance to school and no wheelchair

Jackson is unable to access education or social opportunities

Negative attitude/lack of understanding about disability

Jackson does not have a relationship with his grandparents or support from extended family

Inaccessible home environment

Jackson's current house does not meet his needs, he struggles to get to the toilet, especially during rainy season

Poor healthcare facilities available locally

Jackson does not have access to medical/therapy support and his family do not understand how to best help him.

There are many barriers Jackson is facing, including environmental (he lives in a rural area with minimal facilities and
poor housing and bumpy roads with nowhere locally able to provide a wheelchair), his family are living in poverty forcing
his father to work away at home which decreases Jackson's social support. There are many negative attitudes including
from his extended family as well as kids at the school and the family's neighbours and landlords. The lack of healthcare
options mean that Jackson would not have had access to therapy services which would have helped to maintain better
function in his hands, enabling him to be able to do more.
Unit 2

In this unit you will explore what the Bible says in relation to disability and be challenged from the word about what

our roles are in taking the gospel to people with disabilities and showing them the love of Jesus

Upon completion of this lesson you will be able to:

 Demonstrate knowledge of the truths in the Bible concerning God’s heart for people with disabilities and back it up with

Biblical references

 Confidently explain these truths to a disabled person in your community

In John 9 v 1-3 we read:

‘As he (Jesus) went along, he saw
a man blind from birth. His
disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who
sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind? ”
“Neither this man nor his parents
sinned,” said Jesus, “but this
happened so that the works of
God might be displayed in him.”’
Many people believe that individuals are born
with disabilities because of a sin that the
parents or family have committed, or as a
result of a curse that has been put upon the
family.
That is what the disciples also believed at the
time, as they ask Jesus who caused this man
to be born with a disability.
Jesus replies that it is neither this man’s sin or
his parent’s sin that caused the man to be
born disabled, but it happened so that the
work of God might be displayed in his life.
Later in this passage Jesus chooses to heal
the man’s eye, opening his physical eyes, but
more importantly he opens the man’s spiritual
eyes so that he can see Jesus, and that is
Jesus’s heart for all His people, that they will
come to see who He is.
Sickness and disability came into the world when sin entered
the world when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden
of Eden, which we read about in the book of Genesis.
Disability is not usually a result of individual sin but it’s also
not a surprise to God. He does not just see that someone
has been born with a disability and then decide to use it for
his glory. God knows us before we are even born. He
creates us in his likeness, knits us together in our mother’s
womb and creates us all differently.
Some of us might be born with poor sight, some of us might
not hear well or might struggle with back pain. Some of us
might be quick learners and other might be slow to learn.
But God knows us, and he made us with all our differences
so that his work might be displayed in our lives.
This means that people with disabilities are also created by
God in his image and because of his love so that his work
might be displayed through their lives. Often people with
disabilities learn to develop other senses, skills and do
extraordinary things that the general population might not be
able to do.
Have you ever approached a disabled person
and said to them ‘Dear brother or sister, you
are created in the image of God, and you are
so precious to him?’
God not only created the people with
disabilities in our communities, but he also has
great love and compassion for them.
In 2 Samuel chapter 9 we see King David
asking if there is anyone left in the house
of Saul and Jonathan.
The suffering he had received from Saul
would have usually resulted in the King
wanting to wipe out the whole of Saul’s
family. But not King David, he is
described in the Bible as a man after
God’s own heart.
He asked if there was anyone left from
the house of Saul, in order that he might
honour him for Jonathan’s sake. The only
person left from Saul’s household was
Mephiboshesh, Saul’s grandson, who had
a disability from childhood.
King David did not see or did not
discriminate Mephibosheth – David saw
the person first and gave him a place of
honour at the kings table.
As we see the life of Jesus and the compassion he
showed to many, it seems that God’s heart is also
that we give people with long term sickness or
disabilities a place of honour. We must see people
as God sees them: he sees past the disability and
sees the heart of the person.
Challenge: Do you give people with disabilities in
your communities a place of honour at your table, or
in your communities?
The 4 gospels in the Bible are full of stories of
Jesus’s heart for the sick and those with disabilities.
Everywhere he went, we see his love displayed
through miraculous healings and the value he places
on these people.
Jesus had time for people with disabilities.
Rather than just pass by the people with leprosy and
those that could not speak or see, Jesus stopped.
He stopped what he was busy doing to talk to and
minister to people with disabilities.
He listened to them when they called out to him.
He touched them.
Many of the people with disabilities that
he came across would never have
experienced this kind of love. Most
people would have just ignored them or
passed by on the other side of the road,
pretending they had not heard.
Not Jesus.
He Stopped and he listened.
He was willing to touch people who
others regarded as untouchable
He spoke into their lives and saw
beyond their physical limitations and
their skin conditions and saw their
heart.
In Mark 10 verses 46-52 we read about
Bartimaeus, who was blind.
He called out to Jesus: ‘Son of David have mercy
on me.’
Many people rebuked him, but Jesus stopped
and called him over and asked him what he
wanted.
‘Rabbi, I want to see’ he said to Jesus.
Jesus said ‘Go, your faith has healed you.’
Jesus is concerned with not just their physical
needs, but their spiritual need for him: their need
for a saviour.
God not only created people who have
disabilities in his image, but his desire is that
their lives bring glory to him: that they live out
their lives in service to their creator. We might
sometimes think ‘but how can that person
serve in the church when they are unable to
walk or unable to see or unable to hear?’
Throughout the Bible we see God using people
who are far from perfect. We see him using
people with disabilities to fulfil his plans and
purposes.

Tom Hardwick’s Story (Video Transcript)

Cause 4 Life encourages interns towards compassionate love for those who suffer, inspiring
ministry with those affected by disability, together spreading hope around the world.
Tom: My name is Tom Hardwick and I'm from Chesterfield in England.
I have a condition called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and that is a progressive muscle
wasting disease and generally leads to death by late teens or early twenties.
(Tom is 24. Despite his condition he served as a Cause4Life Intern.)
Tom’s Dad: I gave up full time employment back in 2002 to be his full-time carer. We didn't
know how things will unfold and so I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.
Tom: When I thought about a way that I could serve, the first thing that I thought of was
Joni and Friends and what they have. I went on to the website and saw the Cause 4 Life
internship, I thought to myself, oh my goodness, this is so me.
Katie Dickey, Intern Coordinator: Part of this internship is relationships with people with
disabilities.
Amy-Jo Smith, Intern: When I first saw Tom, I didn't know exactly how I was going to relate
to him and it's taken a little while to get past the wheelchair and to get past the things he
can't do. As we spent more time together, it’s been really amazing to get to know his
character.
Tom (whilst waiting for a group to arrive): I'm feeling a bit excited. I'm feeling a bit nervous,
I want it to all go well but it's worth sitting in the rain to wait for them, freezing!
Kristin Barnes, Intern: It's so fun to see how they connect and they're already really good
friends
Tom: He's a funny one, quite cheeky. We did the bible study together. You've got to expect
that you can receive from them and not just that they're gonna get a benefit from you and
that was a big lesson for me.
Katie Dickey, Intern Coordinator: There wasn't a perfect time in his life for him to come but
God made a time and Tom listened. He came quickly to come do this work. Once he got the
opportunity and the platform to tell his story, all the interns opened up. The next thing you
know they're sitting with him at lunch, they’re helping him eat, they're reaching out to him
on a different level, and Tom didn't change, Tom's the same person that he was, it was the
interns hearts that were changed once they heard his story.
Joni Eareckson-Tada: We better tell everybody that great accent comes from where?
Tom: The highlight of my internship has to be my radio interview with Joni, that really
impacted me and I'm just so glad to have had the opportunity.
Katie Dickey, Intern Coordinator: I think one of the most important things that is being
spread here at Family Retreat is love, compassion, help and these Cause 4 Life interns are
you know helping the parents and giving them that hope that people care and that God sent
us all here for a reason.
Sawyer Berrie, Intern: Through this internship I learned a lot more about suffering and what
were called to do as Christians.
Katie Dickey, Intern Coordinator:Everybody has their own gifts and talents and the Lord has
given and every person deserves to be able to follow their dreams and serve the Lord, if
they're willing.
Tom: I've got to meet lots of people like myself, who have a disability.
Lets be able to show them, you know what? Nothing's impossible for God!