You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 ‘ if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and ‘long term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities’.
I will be focusing on autism. The impairment will put such people at disadvantage and will deter them from reaching their full potential. My observations have led me to believe that people with autism are often overlooked in society because it is not a visible disability.
I am going to use my local church as a case study. In January 2019 I interviewed someone who oversees a Ministry called ‘Ace Life’. It is a ministry that supports adults with learning difficulties. I asked him to talk about the ministry and what it entails. The Ministry is an outreach which started off in 2012. They had something called VIP Day where they reached out to the people in the community who are disadvantaged in some way. It looked like the adults wanted to learn more about the Bible, so they did an Alpha Course organised by the church – this gave them the chance to explore and question the meaning of life. The team realised that it wasn’t working properly because the adults weren’t used to that type of scenario. The team decided to simplify the course, then it grew from there. The team realised that people were lonely and needed to come somewhere where they felt safe and are not judged. This led about setting up a specialist program every fortnightly in the church building where a meal is provided, have discussions about real life issues and organise crafts activities. Everything done was accessible as possible and visual. Every year the adults go on an ‘away’ weekend: this was a full-on program where they have craft activities, a Christian meeting, encouraged to learn to worship God.
When asked if the volunteers must have formal training to join the team he said ‘no’. He also said that ‘the person has to have a big heart’. At the time of the interview the team had 6 volunteers. I asked if the adults get help with employable skills, independence skills he said ‘not at the moment’ – the reason being was there no qualified person to provide this service. Furthermore, the team has started to address real life issues – this is where 2 leaders would come to discuss issues like death, bullying. I mentioned the issue of autism he said that the church hasn’t anything in place and that it is ‘work in progress’. He said that he knows of churches that has invested in having Sensory Rooms. He went further to say that the church hasn’t anything in place yet and that it is ‘not off the agenda’ and it might change soon.
The volunteers of Tenacious Team (Children’s Ministry) got together in January 2019. This gave the team the opportunity to discuss on how to improve their service. A few things were mentioned – having a sensory room; training a few of the leaders whose main aim is to focus on the children with additional needs; having a ‘buddy system’ where a child will be friends with another child with additional needs. The Children’s Pastor said that she would give the leadership team of the church a proposal on how we can make the teaching ‘inclusive’. It was concluded that it would be nice if the church were embracing when it comes to children with additional needs and organising a seminar on autism awareness in the church. ‘Equality is not about giving everyone the same experiences , but about recognising that while everyone is different , they should be equally valued and educated in environment where they feel they belong’. Dr Rona Tuff : Special Educational Needs & Disability (SEND) Expert.
The main reason why most parents who have children with additional needs come to church occasionally is due to lack of ignorance of other church members on how to deal with them. This has caused the church to be insensitive and judgmental when dealing with parents / children affected. Church members have often said things like ‘he/she is so disruptive’ or ‘could you take him/her outside please’? You will be surprised that children with autism can sense what you are feeling towards them. In May 2014 I looked after a friend’s autistic son over a weekend (Friday evening to Monday evening). The child in question was 5 ½ years at the time. I would say that looking after the child had been a learning curve and had ‘made me stronger’. This was my first experience of looking after a child with autism outside of a church or nursery setting. The parents did give me a care plan beforehand. When the child had his ‘meltdowns’, I was confused and lost for words. I remember him staring at me, then he said ‘auntie, I know you are sad. Don’t worry, I will be fine’. I could not believe he was able to connect to how I was feeling. ‘Children with special needs can hear you’ – Jenna Rae Furlong : a mum of a special needs child
Rita F. Pierson a well-known educator in her time said that ‘every child deserves a champion, an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be’ – It will also help if volunteers will get to know autistic children outside of church. It does not have to be a home visit: facetime call or videocall can do the trick.
Fast forward, in September 2021, I am happy to say that my local church now has a Sensory Room set up by the Children’s Ministry. We have a group of team members who support children and help them to have a safe and fun time in the church. The church has offered ‘autism awareness’ training for the Children’s Ministry Volunteers. We are still ‘work in progress’. I am happy that the church has identified that there is a need for the church to be ‘inclusive’.
In conclusion people with disabilities also have dreams and they aspire to be good at something despite their setback – It’s all about making allowances. I was impressed when James Moore, a 26-year-old man with cerebral palsy joined Emmerdale Cast in 2018, (Emmerdale is a British Soap). I was super impressed when he won the award for best newcomer for the National Television Awards 2019. Lee Ridley, also known as the ‘lost voice guy’ is a comedian with cerebral palsy. Little did he know when he entered for the Britain’s Got Talent 2018 competition that he was going to win it.
Churches are beginning to be inclusive.