Stay informed and engaged with ELCA Disability Ministries in their latest update. Look forward to a new grant opportunity aimed at supporting and enhancing the work of disability ministries across our community. Additionally, consider joining their advisory team to play a pivotal role in guiding and expanding our ministry efforts.
Read MoreDiscover the impactful presence of Disability Ministries at the 2024 ELCA Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza, highlighted by three insightful workshops, a groundbreaking Thanksgiving for Baptism service utilizing Braille, and enhanced accessibility features. Explore how these firsts in the ELCA community are paving the way for more inclusive worship and participation, marking significant strides towards embracing all members of the church.
Read MoreJoin the ELCA's Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) for a critical listening session with the disability community on March 15th, 2024. Share your insights to help guide the ELCA's future, focusing on inclusivity and dismantling racism. Register now to contribute to a more equitable church, and read more at ELCA.org.
Read MoreJoin the ELCA's Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) for a critical listening session with the disability community on March 15th, 2024. Share your insights to help guide the ELCA's future, focusing on inclusivity and dismantling racism. Register now to contribute to a more equitable church, and read more at ELCA.org.
Read MoreThe latest ELCA Disability Ministries news updates are available, featuring: a webinar with Dr. Bill Gaventa, The Curb Effect: How Accessibility Impacts Everyone; a book review of The Difference That Disability Makes by Rod Michalko; the Disability Ministries advisory team’s “Top 10” list ; resources for a Blue Christmas worship service; and a reminder that Jan. 4 is World Braille Day and that Extravaganza 2024 takes place Jan. 18-21, 2024, in New Orleans, La.
Read MoreELCA's Disabilities Ministry Blog this month illuminates the resilience and imagination encapsulated in Rev. Jessica Harren’s journey as she shares insights on healing and being queer and disabled. The blog also highlights the notable incorporation of American Sign Language services in the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, extending support to those in crisis. A focus on providing more accessible resources is evident with the availability of dyslexia-friendly religious texts, an invaluable aid for those struggling with dyslexia. Read more about these topics and many more inclusive and supportive resources and insights here.
Read MoreThe tAble is more than just an event – it's a sanctuary for youths with disabilities leading up to the ELCA Youth Gathering. Every participant not only finds fellowship but also a deep sense of belonging. Learn how you can amplify its reach and make a difference. Explore this initiative at elca.org/gathering.
Read MoreClick here for the ELCA Disability Ministries June 2023 newsletter, with a reminder that July is Disability Pride Month, commemorating the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act and celebrating the disability community.
Check out this article to learn more about Disability Pride and what it means for so many people — including you. This resource explains the meaning behind the design and colors of the Disability Pride flag. How can your congregation and/or ministry partner with your friends in the disability community this month and all year?
Read MoreCongratulations to the five recipients of the ELCA Disability Ministries grants for 2023! We have invited each to offer a snapshot of the project their grant will be funding.
Read MoreIn recognition of the enactment of the ADA, July is designated Disability Pride month. The continued work of advocacy by and for the disabled continues to make life for many safer and better.
Read MoreClick here for the ELCA Disability Ministries March 2023 newsletter, with a reminder that March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. If you want to learn more, please go to the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities site.
April is Stress Awareness Month. If you're struggling or reaching out to help a friend who may be struggling with stress, consider some of the many resources on coping and managing stress by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Read MoreThe healing of the blind man in John chapter 9 is one of my favorite healing stories in the whole Bible. I love this story because in this story Jesus confronts and rejects the common belief that disabilities are somehow caused by sin.
I commend to you the book A Healing Homiletic: Preaching and Disability by Kathy Black. Kathy Black is an ordained Methodist minister who has served as the chaplain at Gallaudet University and pastored two churches for deaf persons.
Read MoreKeah Brown, a journalist, has filled this book with her essays. In each standalone essay, Ms. Brown addresses a particular issue of life as a black woman living with Cerebral Palsy in a mostly able-bodied white America. She discusses the depression that comes from internalizing the “idealized body” of the able-bodied world we live in.
Read MoreThank you so much for your support of what we do at ELCA Disability Ministries. Especially, we thank God for you and the way the Spirit is moving you to make accessibility and equity for people with disabilities a priority in the lives of your ministries.
Read MoreWe had an AMAZING response to our most recent opportunity to receive a grant from ELCA Disability Ministries! Our review team will soon begin the process of narrowing down the first 30 applications we received to the top 5 that will receive grants of up to $10,000.
We also wanted to share that the Youth Gathering will waive fees for the first 200 registrants who attend the tAble.
Read MoreELCA Disability Ministries began accepting grant applications on 12/12/2022, and will officially close the application process on 2/15/2023, for funding to ministries that are committed to inclusion and accessibility. Read more about these grants in this letter from coordinator Rev. Lisa Heffernan.
Read MoreELCA Disability Ministries begins accepting grant applications on 12/12/2022, and will officially close the application process on 2/15/2023, for funding to ministries that are committed to inclusion and accessibility. Read more about these grants in this letter from coordinator Rev. Lisa Heffernan.
Read MoreWe share this post from DeAnna Quietwater Noriega, who is half Apache and a quarter Chippewa. She is the mother of three, two daughters and an adopted blind son. She was the eldest of five children in a close–knit American Indian family. As a result of congenital glaucoma, she became totally blind at the age of eight.
Read MoreFor me, this awareness month/s isn’t about simply learning what spina bifida is or saying how “inspiring” disabled people are. (Just don’t say that…seriously. We’re human. Just as faulted, sinful, loving, and capable as you.) It’s about making we who follow Christ aware of the beauty in this diverse community.
Read MoreELCA Disability Ministries shares their September, 2022 newsletter featuring:
Worship Designed for All: A Deep-rooted History of Lutheran Accessibility
September is Suicide Prevention Month
Updated ELCA Find a Congregation page with accessibility options
