Disability Awareness Sunday FAQ's
A comprehensive, practical FAQ that walks congregations through everything needed to plan a meaningful Disability Awareness Sunday — why it matters, when to hold it, who should lead it, how to choose music and scripture, what to avoid (including disability simulations), and where to find more resources, plus a curated reading list. Perfect starting point for any church beginning this journey.
1. Why should we celebrate Disability Awareness Sunday?
About one out of every four persons lives with a disability. (1) Any of us may acquire a disability at any time, especially as we get older. People with disabilities are less likely than people without disabilities to attend church regularly because of ableism shown through inaccessible buildings, or being made to feel unwelcome. (2) Disability Awareness Sunday helps change attitudes, priorities, and practices.
We believe that the church is not complete until everyone, with and without disabilities, is able to attend, belong, and participate fully. As United Methodists, "We recognize that God made all creation and saw that it was good. As a diverse people of God who bring special gifts and evidence of God's grace to the unity of the Church and to society, we are called to be faithful to the example of Jesus' ministry to [and with] all persons. Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community, and the world." ¶140 (3)
The United Methodist Discipline states "Disability Awareness Sunday shall be observed annually on a date to be determined by the annual conference. Disability Awareness Sunday calls the Church to celebrate the gifts and graces of persons with disabilities and calls the Church and society to full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the community. If the annual conference so directs, an offering may be received and the funds used by the annual conference to promote the creation of architectural and attitudinal accessibility in local churches." (¶265)(4)
2. When should we celebrate Disability Awareness Sunday?
If your annual conference has not set a date, pick any date that works for your congregation. Popular times are mid-October, early November, or early February before Lent begins. You might target an observance such as Autism Acceptance Month (April), Mental Health Awareness Month (May), Deaf Awareness Week (May) or month (September), Blind Awareness Month (October) or Disability Employment Awareness Month (October) and utilize the many on-line resources available. Plan to celebrate annually with a different theme each year.
To find out whether your annual conference has set a date and has resources available, check the US & Central Conference UMC Disability Ministries Committees page(5) for a link to conference disability committee webpages.
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3. Who should plan and lead our Disability Awareness Sunday celebration?
Your lay leaders and administrative chairpersons should lead the congregation in celebrating the vision for inclusivity and awareness. Buy-in from a pastor is helpful, but it only takes a few committed people to get something started. Members with disabilities and their families must be represented on the planning team. If your congregation has a Disability Ministries or Accessibility team, they should play a key role.
Consider recruiting a disabled community member and paying them as a consultant to help lead your event and to educate your congregation on current issues around disability justice. You might enlist a panel of youth and adults with lived experience as paid presenters. Have children and adults with disabilities participate in all aspects of the service and celebration, serving as speakers, musicians, ushers, and liturgists. For instance, a Deaf person could sign the scripture, with the ASL interpreter providing voice interpretation to the congregation.
4. What are ideas for planning our worship service and selecting music and liturgies?
There are no hard and fast rules. Take into account what the congregation and community already understand and what they need to learn. Set a goal. What long-term changes are you hoping for? Be creative and utilize the gifts and ideas of people with disabilities in your congregation and community.
Typical Disability Awareness Sunday worship is centered around God's love and acceptance of all of us. Start with your theme and select scriptures and hymns that reflect the message you want to convey. Scripture - The Bible and Disabilities(6) will help you get started. Pick liturgy and songs that mention diversity, unity, and serving together. Songs and Hymns(7) offers suggestions and insights on the theology of the lyrics. Consider classical music written by composers with disabilities for the offertory or introit. Include information about these composers in your bulletin.
Do not use hymns that equate deafness or blindness with sin, or that speak of disabled persons as objects of charity who need to be fixed or ministered to. Use the Anti-ableist Liturgies(8) guide and checklist to make sure that your music and liturgy selections are not sending the wrong message.
Read a children's time story that features a child or parent with a disability and presents disability as one aspect of diversity. (9) Teach everyone a song or prayer in sign language, such as one found in the videos on the UM Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries site.(10) Take an offering for the Disability Ministries Committee (DMC) Advance #3021054(11)to support accessibility projects, and/or to help fund an accessibility project for your congregation or community.
Print bulletins in a larger, bolder font and remind parishioners to avoid wearing fragrances. If communion is offered, use gluten-free bread for everyone.
5. Are there resources to help us develop our Disability Awareness Sunday?
● The DMC Worship Planning section(12)includes litanies, hymn and scripture suggestions, sermon starters, and complete orders of worship.
● The Deaf Awareness section on United Methodist Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries site has bulletin inserts, and many other resources available for your use.(13)
● If your event focuses on mental health issues, you can find several resources in the DMC's Worship Planning section cited above.(12) The Pathways to Promise Mental Health Ministries website has a variety of helpful worship resources but you may need to search for Worship and Archived Articles to find them.(14)
● The Baltimore-Washington Conference has a page of resources for Disability Awareness Sunday, including a liturgy and bulletin inserts.(15)
● The West Ohio Conference's Disability Awareness Sunday page (16) has recorded video clips of calls to worship, music, and sermons that you are free to incorporate into your own worship services.
6. How should we prepare for Disability Awareness Sunday?
If you have not recently done so, complete an accessibility audit(17)to make sure your building and program will support the event. Involve the trustees and include persons with disabilities in this process. Find ways to improve your accessibility, e.g., rent a ramp to the chancel, borrow assisted listening devices(18), and hire an interpreter - and then make plans for permanent changes! If needed, hold the service outdoors, in the fellowship hall, or in another accessible space.
Advertise through community calendars. Offer transportation to persons who no longer drive as well as persons in nearby group homes or nursing homes.
7. What other activities might we include?
Offer an adult forum on a specific topic, e.g., mental health, Alzheimer's, or resources for people with low vision. During Sunday School children would enjoy meeting people with disabilities who might demonstrate the equipment and techniques they use and talk about living with a disability.
Host a potluck and encourage foods that everyone can enjoy, including healthy low-carb, low-sodium, vegan, and gluten-free options. Have members bring a copy of their recipe so others can check for foods they may be allergic to. Arrange for a speaker from the disability community.
You might plan a Disability Awareness Week with additional events. These could include a movie viewing and discussion (Crip Camp(19)is a great choice), a disability open mic event, or art
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shows by artists with disabilities. You could organize a service project such as building a wheelchair ramp for a local family – a local ramp-building ministry would appreciate the help!
8. Is it a good idea to have a disability simulation as part of our event?
No! In the past, a way to raise awareness was for people to be assigned a disability for a day. It is not recommended because sitting in a wheelchair, being blindfolded, or wearing ear plugs do not give one a realistic sense of what living with a disability is like. Instead, simulations tend to make participants feel sorry for people with disabilities, or to minimize what those of us with disabilities go through daily. We do not gain empathy towards any other marginalized groups by mimicking them!(20)
Disabled people learn many strategies to carry out everyday tasks despite physical and social barriers. Instead of simulation, try pairing participants with people who have disabilities and have them accomplish a task together. For instance, complete an accessibility audit with someone who uses a wheelchair or view your church website with a person who is blind and uses a screen reader. Use the opportunity to work together to improve accessibility and decrease ableism in your community!
9. What books will help us learn more about disability awareness and ministry?
Carter, Eric. Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities: A Guide for Service Providers, Families, & Congregations. Paul Brookes Publishing, 2007.
Holland, Rebecca L. The United Methodist Church and Disability: Essays and Practical Tips for Churches, Clergy, and People with Disabilities. 2019.
Johnson, Mary, ed. Disability Awareness: Do it Right! Tips, Techniques, & Handouts for a Successful Awareness Day. Advocado Press, 2006.
Hancock, Justin. The Julian Way: A Theology of Fullness for All of God's People. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018.
Ladau, Emily. Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally. Ten Speed Press, 2021.
Mitchum, Naomi. Every Child Can Bloom in the Inclusive Classroom. Ramps'nthings Press, 2015.
Napper, Christine. A Kid's Book about Disabilities. A Kid's Company About, 2020. (for ages 5 and up – check this list (22) for more children's books about disabilities)
Newman, Barbara J., Autism and Your Church: Nurturing the Spiritual Growth of People with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Revised and Updated Version. Friendship Ministries, 2011.
Yates, Leo, Jr. Deaf Ministries: Ministry Models for Expanding the Kingdom of God, 4th Ed., KDP Publishing, 2021.
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Walker, Robert L., ed. Speaking Out: Gifts of Ministering Undeterred by Disabilities. CreateSpace, 2012.
Wong, Alice. Disability Visibility: 17 First Person Stories for Today (Adapted for Young Adults). Delacorte Press, 2021.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016, ¶140, p. 101.
The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2016, ¶265, p. 214.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F7ux2iZ8UaRkurc2dTmLOQlOtzRLQKMl/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TND67JcOxVF4WLtqqodIWNmxUAnAA0Hu/view
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10WO9k2G3NaeUx40g67PT2iqjbJsazoFA/view
https://www.westohioumc.org/ministries/disability-awareness-sunday
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lJ1OFXoR6pSSzwRpCezTp9-f02mDYGZy/view
https://cripcamp.com/; see also curriculum resources at https://cripcamp.com/curriculum/
Johnson, Mary, ed., Disability Awareness: Do it Right! Tips, Techniques, & Handouts for a Successful Awareness Day. Advocado Press, 2006. pp. 50-61.
Deaconess Lynn Swedberg, Revised 7/29/24