Friday, March 31, 2017

Friday, March 24, 2017

News and Notes from AMD, 3/24/17

UM Disability blog: The Body of Christ
http://umdisability.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-body-of-christ-sharon-mccart.html

NYT disability series: "Cure me? No Thanks"
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/22/opinion/cure-me-no-thanks.html

For those who ask why we push for research and coverage for all:
https://www.gillettechildrens.org/blog/cerebral-palsy-diagnosis-at-80-brings-george-fedor-peace/

DisAbility Ministries newsletter
http://conta.cc/2nVcppa

Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Ministries newsletter
https://www.umdeaf.org/news/

LSA Journal: Caring Connections
http://www.lutheranservices.org/sites/default/files/images/pdfs-CaringConnections/CaringConnections%20January%202017%20Vol%2014%20Issue%201.pdf

Medicare and independent living
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/Disabled-fear-medicaid-cuts-diminish-independence-stateline-pew-anastasia-somoza.html

Medicaid Per Capita caps
http://kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/what-could-a-medicaid-per-capita-cap-mean-for-low-income-people-on-medicare/

The language more beautiful than words
http://www.bbc.com/news/disability-39302109



--

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.
UMAMD logo with the UM Cross and Flame and several disability symbols

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

Thursday, March 23, 2017

The Body of Christ -- Sharon McCart

Disability and the Body of Christ

This morning I opened an e-mail with the subject line, “Brian Bantum on ‘The Reformation and the human body’.” I opened it because, unlike many other e-mails I get, this one intrigued me. I assumed that it would be about Disability Theology, because that’s where my mind always goes when I read “human body.” That kind of thing happens when you have a passion/obsession the way I do.

It is an interesting article, for sure, but it was not at all what I expected. Bantum made several good points, but reiterating them or responding to them is not the purpose of writing this. I was looking for one thing and found another.

So I am disappointed.

I wanted to learn the connections between Disability Theology and Reformation Theology, if I could. I am always up for learning more about the connections between Disability Theology and other kinds of theology. That didn’t happen. The bodies that Bantum has in mind are not bodies with disabilities. And I find this typical. People have their area of focus and disability is not on their screen.

This happens in theologically-oriented blogs. It happens in social justice movements working for the marginalized, where no one seems to notice that they themselves marginalize people with disabilities. It happens in denominational boards and agencies, where people talk about and embrace diversity and people with disabilities do not come up in the conversations or their lives. A company might be “An equal opportunity employer” but too many times that opportunity is not given to people with disabilities. Churches are many times no more inclusive. Even if every staff member is a different race/ethnicity/age/national origin/first language, they will be surprised if you point out that there are no disabilities represented.

Like I said, it isn’t even on their screen.

I am disappointed. Again.

access ramp leading to steps


This is not the first time, nor will it be the last. And it makes me realize that maybe I am the one to help fill the gap. I am setting a personal goal of writing a regular blog. There are other blogs out there about disability. That is not the gap I am seeing. It is the connections between the Body of Christ (aka the Church) and our bodies that have been swept under the rug.

Time for spring cleaning under that rug.


Sharon McCart, M.Div.
March 21, 2017
 Sharon McCart is chair of the Disability Ministries Committee. 

Friday, March 17, 2017

News and notes from UMAMD, 3/17/17

 Health care and daily life
https://ourlifeis.com/2017/03/10/dear-ivanka-lets-talk-about-the-ahca/

The Arc statement on AHCA
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-the-ahca-poses-a-threat-to-people-with-disabilities_us_58cacc52e4b0e0d348b34134

Not Dead Yet on health care
http://notdeadyet.org/2017/03/ndy-in-national-disability-leadership-alliance-opposing-cuts-to-vital-healthcare.html

Per capita caps on Medicaid:
http://www.thismess.net/2017/03/resources-medicaid-per-capita-caps.html

NDRN on changes to ADA
http://ndrn.org/en/public-policy/ada-a-civil-rights.html

Words matter: fighting the stigma
http://www.dallasnews.com/life/healthy-living/2017/03/06/words-matter-fighting-stigmaof-mental-illness

Creating sign language books
http://bookcreator.com/2014/12/creating-sign-language-books-book-creator/

Spirituality and trauma
https://qz.com/606564/psychologists-have-found-that-a-spiritual-outlook-makes-humans-universally-more-resilient-to-trauma/

Reasons to sign when HOH ...
https://ondeafness.com/2016/09/12/14-reason-to-sign-to-your-hard-of-hearing-or-cochlear-implanted-child/



--

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

Friday, March 10, 2017

News and notes from AMD, 3/10/17

Disabled student safety in crisis
http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2017/03/06/keeping-students-with-disabilities-safe-in-lockdowns-evacuations-and-other-school-crises/

The privilege of mental health
http://johnpavlovitz.com/2016/07/05/the-privilege-of-mental-health/

Advocacy/ awareness: IRS scam reaches VR
https://www.irs.gov/uac/irs-warns-of-video-relay-scam-targeting-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing

Advocacy: GBCS on health care
https://umc-gbcs.org/faith-in-action/health-care-is-a-basic-human-right

Advocacy: AAPD on health care
http://www.aapd.com/action-alert-tell-congress-to-save-healthcare-provisions-that-are-essential-to-people-with-disabilities/

DHM website features Lenten devotions and ASL glossary
https://www.umdeaf.org/

4th global Methodist missions conference of the Deaf
http://llumc.org/4gmd
 --

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.
UMAMD logo with the UM Cross and Flame and several disability symbols

This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

Friday, March 3, 2017

News and notes from AMD, 3/3/17

What if...
http://www.keyministry.org/church4everychild/2017/2/20/what-if-this-were-your-lead-pastor

Stigma quiz (you do not need to enter name or e-mail to complete it)
http://letsthinkagain.org/stigma-quiz/

Not Dead Yet: suicide
http://notdeadyet.org/2017/02/anita-cameron-the-disability-perspective.html

Health care and disability
http://brokenandchosen.blogspot.com/

4th Global Missions Conference of the Deaf
https://www.umcd.org/newsnat/1708.html

Advocacy: Easterseals on healthcare
http://www.capwiz.com/easterseals/issues/alert/?alertid=75771626&type=CO



--

Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.
UMAMD logo with the UM Cross and Flame and several disability symbols
This newsletter is generally issued weekly by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.

Click here to join this e-mail list.
Visit us on the web or Facebook.