Disability ministry

Below you can find a range of downloadable resources to help you and your church think more about access, inclusion, belonging and participation for disabled people.

• • Model Parish Disability Champion role description
  • Model Parish Disability Statement
  • Making your worship more inclusive of disabled people
  • Liturgical resources
  • Biblical Reflections for preachers

• The 360 Accessibility Audit
• Accessibility Quick wins
• Creating an accessibility area on your website
• The Equality Act (2010)
• The Church of England – Barrier free belonging
• The Church of England – Advice and guidance for church buildings – Accessibility. This contains lots of invaluable advice and guidance including a downloadable guide ‘Equal Access to Church Buildings’
• The Church Growth Trust – The Equality Act – Making buildings fully accessible
• Diocese of London – guidance from DAC on access and inclusion including link to an ‘Access Audit’ – www.london.anglican.org/kb/provision-for-people-with-disabilities/ (LINK NEEDED)
• The Church of England – ‘A place to belong’ – an audit tool for churches – A place to belong Guide.pdf (churchofengland.org)
• Centre for Accessible Environments – www.cae.org.uk
• The Church Buildings Council – www.churchcare.co.uk
• Advice on funding for access improvements 

Shorter books and articles

To help you begin exploring the topic of disability, hospitality and belonging.

General

• John Hull et al. Disability – The Inclusive Church Resource, Darton, Longman and Todd.
• Disability language and diversity – a guide for the perplexed. Christa Ewert and Roy McCloughry.
• ‘All One in Christ’ The Biblical Imperative – A parish resource pack on disability. Diocese of Southwark
• SCOPE. Disability perception gap report.
• ‘Being disabled in Britain – a journey less equal’ (2017). Equality and Human Rights Commission report. Downloadable in various formats:

Disability and church

• Calling from the edge – reflections from the 2017 ‘Disability and Church’ conference – St Martin-in-the-fields and Inclusive Church.
• Something worth sharing – reflections from the 2018 ‘Disability and Church’ conference – St Martin-in-the-fields and Inclusive Church.
• Being disabled, being human. Katie Tupling – Challenging Society’s Perception  of Disability and Personhood  Grove Books E 205

Mental Health

• Jean Vanier and John Swinton et al. Mental Health – The Inclusive Church Resource, Darton, Longman and Todd

Neuro Divergent

• How to Include Autistic Children and Young People in Church: Creating a Place of Belonging and Spiritual Development for All (2021). Mark Arnold, Grove Books Y 65
• Welcoming and Including Autistic People in our Churches and Communities. Oxford diocese. Main author: Ann Memmott
• What is Autism?  By Anne Memmott. A paper written for ‘Churches for all’
• Including young people on the autism spectrum in church, by Anne Memmott
• Autism in adults – Dr Luke Beardon – Sheldon Press 2021
• Avoiding anxiety in autistic adults: a guide to autistic wellbeing – Dr Luke Beardon – Sheldon Press 2021

Down’s Syndrome

• Valuing people with Down’s syndrome toolkit | The Church of England

Dementia

• Revd Dr Joanna Collicutt. Thinking of you: a resource for the spiritual care of people with dementia.
• Becoming a dementia friendly church.pdf. A resource pack from ‘Churches Together in Greater Bristol’ offering a strategic approach to becoming a more dementia friendly church.

Worship

• Katie Tupling and Anna De Lange – Worship and disability – a kingdom for all. Grove Books – www.grovebooks.co.uk

Healing and prayer ministry

• Frances Mackenney-Jeffs – Embraced and included – disability and healing. Grove Books – www.grovebooks.co.uk

Theology of Disability and Inclusion

• Stanley Hauerwas. What Love Looks Like – Vulnerability, Disability and the Witness of Jean Vanier, ABC Religion and Ethics
• John Swinton (2012). From Inclusion to Belonging – A Practical Theology of Community, Disability and Humanness. PDF – https://www.london.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/From-Inclusion-to-Belonging.pdf
• John Swinton. Building a church for strangers. PDF – https://www.london.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Building-a-church-for-strangers.pdf
• John Swinton. Who is the God we worship – Theologies of disability, challenges and new possibilities. PDF – https://www.london.anglican.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Who_is_the_God_We_Worship.pdf
• Thomas Reynolds. Disability and Theology – changing the conversation. Available free from www.academia.edu
• Thomas Reynolds. Invoking deep access – disability beyond inclusion. Available from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6385.2012.00687.x
• Deborah Creamer. Disability Theology. Available free from www.academia.edu
• Roy MCCloughry and Wayne Morris. Making a world of difference – Christian reflections on disability. SPCK 2002. This is a concise introduction to disability theology with plenty of practical application.
• Mark Bredin. True Beauty – finding grace in disabilities. Grove Books – www.grovebooks.co.uk

Longer books

If you want a longer read, these are a selection of books with theological insight and practical guidance that will open areas of disability history, spirituality, theology and ethics.

• Deborah Creamer. Disability and Christian theology – Embodied limits and constructive possibilities. Oxford University Press, 2010. (Also available free on www.acaedemia.edu)
• Lamar  Hardwick.  Disability  And The  Church – A Vision For  Diversity And Inclusion (InterVarsity Press)
• Jenni Hogan. This is my body – A story of sickness and health. Canterbury Press 2017
• Human disability and the service of God: reassessing religious practice. Ed. Eiesland and Saliers, Abingdon Press 1998.
• Disability in the Christian Tradition. Ed. Brock and Swinton, William B. Eerdmans 2012.
• Nancy Eiesland. The Disabled God – Towards a liberatory theology of disability. Abingdon Press 1994.
• Roy McCloughry. The Enabled Life – Christianity in a disabling world. SPCK 2013
• Frances Mackenney-Jeffs,  Reconceptualising  Disability for the  Contemporary church, (SCM Press)
• Roy McCloughry and Wayne Morris,  Making a world of difference – Christian reflections on disability (SP#CK 2002)
• Hans Reinders. Receiving the gift of friendship – Profound disability, theological anthropology, and ethics. William B. Eerdmans, 2008
• Thomas Reynolds. Vulnerable Communion – A theology of disability and hospitality. Brazos Press 2008.
• Jennie Weiss Block. Copious Hosting – A Theology of Access for People with Disabilities. Continuum 2002
• Frances M. Young. Brokenness and blessing – towards a biblical spirituality. Darton, Longman and Todd 2007
• Amos Yong. The Bible, Disability and the Church – A new vision of the people of God. William B. Eerdmans 2011.
• Stanley Hauerwas and Jean Vanier. Living gently in a violent world – the prophetic witness of weakness. Intervarsity Press
• John Swinton. Becoming Friends of Time – Disability, Timefullness, and Gentle Discipleship. SCM Press 2017
• Naomi Graham. Love  Surpassing  Knowledge – More than ramps. Understanding  and implementing accessibility. River Publishing
• Naomi Lawson Jacobs and Emily Richardson. At the gates: disability, justice and the churches. Darton, Longman and Todd 2022

• Inclusive Church – www.inclusive-church.org
• Through the roof – www.throughtheroof.org
• Disability and Jesus – www.disabilityandjesus.org.uk
• Mosaic – Movement of supporting Anglicans for an inclusive church – https://mosaic-anglicans.org
• Livability – www.livability.org.uk
• Disabled Living Foundation – www.dlf.org.uk
• Equality and Human Rights Commission – www.equalityhumanrights.com
• Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) – www.radar.org.uk

• Wave for change – Being church with people with learning difficulties in London – www.wave-for-change.org.uk
• Mencap – the voice of learning disability – www.mencap.org.uk
• Count Everyone In – support, training and encouragement for churches to include adults with learning disabilities – www.counteveryonein.org.uk
• The Additional Needs Alliance – helping churches to include, support, create places of belonging for, and spiritually grow children, young people and young adults with additional needs or disabilities.  Support, training  and information for families and churches to make inclusion a reality. https://additionalneedsalliance.org.uk
• Urban Saints ‘Invited to belong’ – Training to make your youth and childrens ministry welcoming to young people with additional needs – www.energize.uk.net/articles/additional_needs/resources/invited_belong
• Growing Hope – Growing Hope set up clinics in partnership with local churches, offer training to facilitate support groups for parents and siblings of children with additional needs, and champion accessibility within churches through training and award programs.
  growinghope.org.uk
• ‘Books beyond words’ – Picture books for all ages and all abilities. To help people process experiences, feelings and emotions beyond the need to be able to read and process language.  The series includes an excellent book on ‘Going to Church.’ booksbeyondwords.co.uk 

• An Autism blog by Ann Memmott. With insights, research and ideas RE church, safeguarding, intersectionality.
• The National Autistic Society. Information and guidance for autistic people and their families. Includes guidance for places of worship.
• Welcoming and Including Autistic People in our Churches and Communities. Oxford diocese. Main author: Ann Memmott

• ADDitude. An online magazine for ADHD adults (US based)
• AADD-UK. A website by and for ADHD adults. Research, resources, local support groups and a lively forum.
• ADHD UK. ADHD-led resources and research, particularly strong on guidance re work, Access to Work and PIP applications

• The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) – https://rnid.org.uk
• Open Ears – Support and events for hard of hearing and Deaf people – https://www.openears.org.uk/
• London Deaf Church – https://londondeafchurch.com/
• Deaf awareness training video from Through the Roof – In this informative video Neil Robinson shares a host of useful information about welcoming and communicating with Deaf people in your church.

• Memory Bridge – resources to encourage and equip the creation of meaningful relationships with people with dementia. www.memorybridge.org
• The Alzheimer’s Society – united against dementia. www.alzheimers.org.uk
• Dementia Friendly Church – a UK project run by The Prama Foundation helping churches to know how to become dementia friendly. www.dementiafriendlychurch.org.uk

• The Dyscalculia Association. Resources and support for children and adults
• British Dyslexia Association guidance about Dyscalculia

• The British Dyslexia Association
  Support for those with dyslexia and useful information to help make all aspects of an organisation more accessible.  Including a useful downloadable resource guide to producing dyslexia friendly printed material.
• Dyslexic in the pulpit. A Facebook group for those involved in church leadership who are dyslexic.
• Dyslexia friendly churches guide. A guide to help churches better include dyslexic adults

• Dyspraxic Adults. Forum for dyspraxic adults, resources, guides to support etc.

• The Church of England mental health resources – Including 13 podcast reflections to support and improve mental health. Mental health resources | The Church of England
• The Mental Health Foundation – www.mentalhealth.org.uk
• Rethink Mental Illness – advice, support  and information for those affected by mental illness. www.rethink.org
• Sanctuary Mental Health – offering a wealth of information and a small group course focussing on mental health and the church. www.sanctuarymentalhealth.org
• Kintsugi Hope – offering training and resourcing for churches to run ‘Kintsugi Hope’ groups that address mental health and wellbeing – kintsugihope.com

• A Beginner’s Guide to Neurodiversity – short article by Suzanne Comberousse
• The National Autistic Society – includes guidance for places of worship – www.autism.org.uk

• Torch Trust for the blind – www.torchtrust.org
• Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) – www.rnib.org.uk
• The Xavier Society for the Blind – providing books and liturgical material in braille and audio – https://xaviersocietyfortheblind.org

• Tourettes Action. Organisation, research and resources, helpline etc. Mainly  children/families.
• Tourettes Hero. Blog, resources, ideas from Jess Thom, artist, neurodiversity campaigner and advocate. ‘Changing the world one tic at a time’