DISABILITY AWARENESS

MUSIC & WORSHIP RESOURCES

See below for a comprehensive list of ways to assist persons in your congregation who have disabilities.

Michelle Riley Jones, Lectionary Team Liturgist

In his article, “Gospel Accountability: When Can Special Needs Adults Understand the Gospel?” Gene Nabi states: “Anyone with a disability, however severe, can come into God’s kingdom. They can be as receptive to the working of the Holy Spirit as anyone else. To question whether anyone has the capacity to come into the kingdom questions the power of the Holy Spirit.” Since differently abled individuals are given the capacity to come into the kingdom (created and called by God and able to respond to God’s calling—Genesis 1:26, Ephesians 2:10), how much more we should embrace that they too should also minister for the kingdom (specially gifted and invited to participate in ministry by God—1 Corinthians 12:4, 7).
                                       
Worship Planning Notes

The black church too often offers two options for those with disabilities: miraculous healing or heroic suffering. Neither of these options are acceptable to people with disabilities. According to the Scriptures, the church’s role is to promote wholeness and abundant life. Wholeness does not always mean that disability or illness will be removed from our midst. When people are accepted as they are, they are empowered to move toward wholeness. The healing ministry of Jesus was concerned with the whole person: body, mind, and spirit. This meaning has been obscured wherever persons with disabilities become “victims” of healing rather than persons whose lives are healed.

Your church’s worship inclusion planning can provide for wholeness of mind, body, and spirit by building on four principles:

1. All people are created in God’s image.—Genesis 1:26
2. All people are called by God.—Ephesians 2:10
3. All people have special gifts.—1 Corinthians 12:4
4. All people are invited to participate in God’s ministry.—1 Corinthians 12:7

As you plan for this Disability Awareness Day, consider strategies that will enable people to feel included as they participate in worship each week, rather than only for a particular designated day. Persons with disabilities are wonderful ministers to others; they are solely to be the recipients of ministry only.

Use this day to launch a new or expanded disability ministry and to provide information to both your congregation and the community on your inclusive worship opportunities.

General Suggestions

• Expand your Sign Interpretation Ministry to a Disability Ministry and look for opportunities to address other disabilities.
• Conduct a basic assessment of your church’s accessibility or bring in a consultant for a full and formal assessment.
Sample assessment: http://www.throughtheroof.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/disability-sunday-2009.pdf.
• Make sure Church members know it is unlawful to discriminate against disabled people.
• Train pastor, elders, ministry leaders, and church staff on disability awareness.
• Many of the people in our congregations are elderly and may have developed disabilities, particularly physical or sensory impairments. As the age of a congregation increases, so does the incidence of disability. Therefore, we need to be aware of people’s needs on an on-going basis.
• Review church activities regularly to make sure they are accessible to disabled people.
• Review your church website to consider its accessibility.
For suggestions: http://gbgm-umc.org/churches/faq_home/acchtml.cfm

Worship Planning Suggestions

• When planning worship, consider the abilities and disabilities of all those you are hoping to include. Include persons with disabilities as liturgists, ushers, communion servers, and preachers—all the ways people who are able-bodied share their gifts with the church.
• Ask people with disabilities how they want to participate in the sacramental celebrations of the church. Don’t presume to know or make decisions on their behalf.
• Develop an awareness of the forms and amount of physical movement involved in worship. Consider the amount of time that is spent standing, kneeling, and sitting in worship. The flow among these movements may seem appropriate, but for some people—whether temporarily able-bodied or disabled—too much time may be spent in one of these postures. Solicit and be receptive to feedback. Help create worship services and space that welcome diverse forms of physical participation. Communicate clearly, both in attitude and in print, that anyone may choose not to participate in any action on the basis of comfort or conscience.
• Provide some general guidelines to your greeters and ushers on how to interact with persons with various disabilities including hearing impairment, speech impairment, mobility impairment, learning disabilities, and other disabilities.
View: http://www.throughtheroof.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/disability-sunday-2009.pdf
• Encourage the use of multiple cues in worship. Combine simple printed directions in the bulletin with oral and physical cues that facilitate the participation of all people in worship. For example, when the congregation should stand, a simple indication in the bulletin combined with the verbal cue “Please rise as you are able,” and the physical cue of raising one’s arms effectively provide multiple cues to the congregation.

Disability-specific Suggestions

• Inclusion of People with Intellectual Impairment

People with an intellectual disability tend to learn more easily by using their senses of sight, touch, smell, and taste, rather than listening to words. Active learning is more effective than passive learning. The use of physical and visual props is very effective. Therefore, the use of drama, mime, music, and visual effects is very effective when including people with intellectual disabilities in worship, and in fact for the inclusion of all people.


• Inclusion of People with Physical Disability
  Mobility and access will be the two crucial issues for the inclusion of people with a physical disability. Once the person is in the building, assist him or her to an appropriate place to sit. Ask what his or her preference is for seating. It is often helpful to position a wheelchair within the body of the congregation, rather than in an isolated position. A person with a walking frame/stick will probably be more comfortable at the end of a row so that access is more readily obtained.
  
  
• Inclusion of People with Visual Impairment
  Ask the person where he or she wishes to be seated. The position of lighting may be important. The provision of large-print hymn books, orders of service, and well-lit and positioned hymn number boards and screens is important for those with little or no vision. It is important to have someone to accompany the person so that a commentary can be given of aspects of the service that are not auditory.
  
  
• Inclusion of People with Hearing Impairment
  A clear amplification system that doesn’t distort the spoken word is essential. Speakers need to speak distinctly, not too quickly, and should always face the congregation. A hearing loop facility is also necessary. Visual cues should be matched with the spoken word where possible. These include: hymn number boards, designation of readings, and printed orders of service. Gestures and facial expressions of worship leaders are also important.
  

1. Litany, Responsive Reading, or Invocation
(a) Call to Worship

God Sees That It’s Good
We come with different abilities of mind, body, and spirit.
When God made us, he looked around and saw that it was good.
It is good because we are all created in the image of God;
It is good because we are all gifted and called of God;
It is good because we can all come into God’s presence knowing that in the divine we are made whole;
It is good because our Creator has invited us all to participate in ministry.
Now look around and see the goodness of God in all persons!
Let us all celebrate the goodness of God!

(b) Litany

(d) In This Place. By Jonathan Dunn

(e) The Glory of the Lord. By Deborah Ford

(f) When the Saints Go to Worship. By Donald Lawrence

2. Hymns and Congregational Songs
(a) Just as I Am. By Charlotte Elliot and William Bradley

(b) No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus. By Charles F. Weigle

(c) Hold On to God’s Unchanging Hand. By Jennie Wilson

(d) Through It All. By Andraé Crouch

(e) Blessed Assurance. Text by Fannie J. Crosby. Tune, (ASSURANCE), by Phoebe F. Knapp

3. Spirituals or Traditional Songs
(a) Soldier (In the Army of the Lord). Traditional

(b) King Jesus Is a Listenin’. Spiritual

(c) If You Don’t Pray for Me. Traditional

4. Gospel Songs for Choirs, Ensembles, or Praise Teams
(a) I Have a Right to Praise Him. By Luke Mercer, Jr.

(b) Such as I Have (Live). By Charles G. Hayes

(c) Count on Me. By James Hall

(d) I’ll Sing of Your Love. By Carol Cymbala, Jason Michael Webb, and Onaje Jefferson

(e) He’ll Welcome Me. By John P. Kee

(f) Got What I Needed. By Vashawn Mitchell

(g) It’s Good to Know Jesus. By David Curry

(h) Nothing Can Separate Me. By Joeworn Martin

(i) He Touched Me. By William Gaither

(j) He Does All Things Well. By Walter Hawkins

5. Music for Sign Choirs, Liturgical Dance, or Mime Troupes
(a) I Honor You. By Clifton Thomas

(b) I Will Bless the Lord. By Byron Cage

(c) Something Happens. By Kurt Carr

(d) Praise Him in Advance. By Deon Kipping

(e) Lord, You’re Holy. By Helen Baylor

(f) For Every Mountain. By Kurt Carr

(g) I Am the One. By Kurt Carr

(h) When I Worship. By Joe Pace

(i) Beauty for Ashes. By Crystal Lewis

(j) Just Want to Praise You. By Arthur Tannous

(k) Let It Rise. By Holland Davis

6. Songs for Children and Youth
(a) He’s Chosen Me. By Niyoki and Ralph Stacy

(b) This Is Me. By Fred Jenkins III and Delisha Thomas

(c) God Made Me. Traditional

(d) Let the Children Come. By Mia Fieldes

(e) God of Wonders. By Marc Byrd and Steve Hindalong

(f) Open the Eyes of My Heart. By Paul Baloche

7. Anthems
(a) O Christ, Your Heart, Compassionate. By Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr. Tune, (ELLECOMBE), Setting by Stephen P. Folkemer. This selection is for SATB, Organ and Trumpet in C.

(b) Let Us Love. By Mary McDonald. This selection is for SATB with keyboard and optional strings.

8. Modern Songs
(a) I’m Good. By E. Cortez, J. Fortune, C. Fortune, and T. Vaughn

(b) We Have Overcome. By Israel Houghton and Meleasa Houghton

(c) You Are God Alone (Not a God). By Cindy Foote and Billy J. Foote

(c) Faithful to Believe. By Byron Cage, Adrian M. Lindsey, and Aaron Lindsey

9. Offertory Song or Instrumental
(a) Ta Ta You Jesus. By Johnny “Guitar” Watson

(b) Nothing But Praises. By Bishop Eric McDaniel

(c) Let Everything Give Him Praise. By Tyrone Powell

10. Song or Instrumental for the Period of Prayer
(a) Jesus, Lover of My Soul. By Charles Wesley. Tune, (SIMEON), by Simeon B. Marsh

(b) Hymn Medley: Fill My Cup Lord/I Need Thee Every Hour. By Richard Blanchard, Annie S. Hawks, and Robert Lowry

(c) Help Me Believe. By Kirk Franklin

(d) It’s Not in Vain. By John Stoddart

11. Sermonic Selection
(a) You’ll Never Walk Alone. By Oscar Hammerstein, II and Richard Rodgers

(b) All I Need. By Brian Courtney Wilson

(c) I Shall Live. By Jason Nelson

(d) The Affirmation. By Sheri Jones-Moffett and Daniel Moore, II

(e) I Never Lost My Praise. By Kurt Carr

(f) It All Belongs to You. By Deitrick Haddon

(g) Created to Worship. By William H. Murphy, III

12. Invitational Song or Instrumental
(a) Lord, You Are My Everything. By Marvin L. Winans

(b) God Is. By Robert Fryson

(c) Take My Life (Holiness). By Micah Stampley

(d) When the Gates Swing Wide. By Thomas A. Dorsey

(e) No Ways Tired. By Curtis Burrell

(f) My Testimony. By Vashawn Mitchell

13. Benediction Song or Instrumental
(a) Ungayoni Into Enhle (Destroy Not This Beauty). By Joseph Shabalala

(b) Siyahamba (Janie’s Song). Traditional African Song

14. Resources
(a) Disability Resources.org. This non-profit organization was established to improve disability awareness and to promote the availability of disability-related information. They provide a list of web sites that offer information designed to encourage and support the accessibility of religious organizations and facilities.
http://www.disabilityresources.org/RELIGION.html

(b) Faith Ability—Religion and Disability Resources
http://www.faithability.org/

(c) Hearing Loss Technology
http://www.davidmyers.org/Brix?pageID=6

(d) National Organization on Disability—Division of Religion and Disability
http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Feature.showFeature&FeatureID=100

(e) Sample Checklist for Assessing Accessibility
http://tampaarts.com/

15. Denominational and Non-Denominational Resources
(a) Society for Helping Church—Non-Denominational
www.societyforhelping.org

(b) National Council of Churches USA
http://www.ncccusa.org/elmc/disabilities.htm

(c) North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists Disability Ministries
http://www.nadadventist.org/disability/

(d) National Catholic Partnership on Disability
http://www.ncpd.org

(e) United Methodist National Task Force on Developmental Disabilities
http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umcor/work/health/disc/developmental-disabilities/

(f) Interfaith Disability Resources
http://www.interfaithdisability.org/about.php

Cites and Additional Information for Music and Material Listed

Worship Planning Notes

1. Photograph first appeared in the article “Worshippers with Disabilities Struggle to Find Home in Church Pews,” by Dionne Walker, The Associated Press. Pastor A. C. Edwards holds the door for church member Shawana Bulloch (center) and her friend Sharai Reed after a church service at the Believers in the Word Full Gospel Ministries in Savannah, Georgia. Bulloch recently convinced her congregation to get a portable ramp that allows her wheelchair access to the church. Online location:  http://www.joplinglobe.com/weekend/local_story_015101258.html?start:int=15 24 January 2010.


2.  “Gospel Accountability: When Can Special Needs Adults Understand the Gospel?” By Gene Nabi. Online location: http://www.lifeway.com/article/?id=168109 18 January 2010.


3. Crossroads Christian Fellowship NSW Inc. Online location:  http://www.crossroadsfellowship.org.au/nsw/inclSunday.html 22 January, 2010.


4. National Council of Churches USA. Online location: http://www.ncccusa.org/nmu/mce/dis/ 22 January 2010.

1. Litany, Responsive Reading, or Invocation
Call to Worship
(a) God Sees That It’s Good. By Michelle Riley Jones

Litany
(b) Everybody Belongs. Everybody Serves. By Michelle Riley Jones