News and notes from AMD, 26 April 2019

Here are the highlights of postings this week from the Association of Ministers with Disabilities, Disability Ministries Committee, Mental Health Ministries, Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Ministries Committee, and UM Congress of the Deaf:
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AMD

• A better way: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/11/bitterness-theres-a-better-way/
• And love is bigger: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/15/take-heart-love-is-bigger/
• Hope and prayer: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/16/notre-dame-our-hope-and-prayer/
• Hope with a heavy heart: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/22/sri-lanka-hope-with-a-heavy-heart/
• Clergy against Alzheimer's: https://www.usagainstalzheimers.org/networks/faith
• Disability and disasters: https://www.numotion.com/blog/february-2019/14-questions-with-vance-taylor
• Suicide prevention: https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Suicide-Prevention-Competencies-for-Faith-Leaders---New-Resource-Released.html
• Doubting Thomas: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/25/are-you-a-doubting-thomas/
  

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DMC

• Are you happy? https://www.facebook.com/PresbyteriansForDisabilityConcerns/photos/a.378895829507242/379895799407245/?type=3&theater
• God, the spurned lover: https://www.castlechurchbrewing.com/blog/god-the-spurned-lover
• Global Accessibility webinars: https://mailchi.mp/unh/join-us-for-a-free-3-part-accessibility-webinar-series
• Acceptance, not awareness: https://wfpl.org/these-autistic-friends-want-acceptance-rather-than-an-awareness-campaign/
• Reading software: https://beckiewrites.com/2019/04/22/im-visually-impaired-and-voice-dream-reader-enables-me-to-read-120-books-a-year/
• UMC seeks to provide housing: https://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/city/church-seeks-to-build-housing-for-those-with-developmental-disabilities/article_9fe7df50-63ae-11e9-82b3-73e8f3b73e7e.html
• Social skills: https://disabledchristianity.blogspot.com/2019/04/disability-ministry-and-social-skills.html

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DHM

• Grant application updates: https://www.umdeaf.org/fund.html
• Learning from hearing loss: https://livingwithhearingloss.com/2019/04/09/what-my-hearing-loss-has-taught-me/
• Deaf man, Deaf dog: https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/14/deaf-man-adopts-deaf-dog-teaches-commands-sign-language-9199363/

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MHM

• Prince Harry on depression: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2291099947579678&id=186943104662050&notif_id=1555351622909279&notif_t=scheduled_post_published&ref=notif

NEJ Deaf Ministry Boot Camp, May 18, 2019
https://www.umcd.org/newsnej/1905.html
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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.
This newsletter is also published on the UM Disability Blog
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

News and notes from AMD, 12 April 2019

Here are the highlights of postings this week from the Association of Ministers with Disabilities, Disability Ministries Committee, Mental Health Ministries, Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Ministries Committee, and UM Congress of the Deaf:
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AMD

• Real equity means including people with disabilities in philanthropy: https://www.philanthropy.com/article/No-Equity-Without-Everyone-/245991
• Pastors, first responders, and mass shootings: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10156955230198654&id=121094358653&notif_id=1554814624085354&notif_t=scheduled_post_published&ref=notif
• Inclusive, another word for love: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/08/inclusive-another-word-for-love/
• Traumatic Brain Injury, an insider's view: https://www.meriahnichols.com/traumatic-brain-injury/
• Accessible weddings: https://beckiewrites.com/2019/04/08/accessibleweddingmarthaharris/
• New co-chairs: https://umdisability.blogspot.com/2019/04/new-co-chairs-at-amd-and-statement-on.html

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DHM-UMCD

• Spring Newsletter: https://www.umdeaf.org/news/
• Samuel Gnanarajah reports, preparing Pastors for ministry among people with disabilities: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2662361183790728&id=260161100677427&notif_id=1554814386538794&notif_t=scheduled_post_published&ref=notif
• Deaf Space at Gallaudet: https://www.citylab.com/design/2019/03/deafspace-design-disability-architecture-hard-of-hearing-dc/582613/
• Offer ASL as language: http://www.alestlelive.com/opinion/article_2fedc250-54e0-11e9-98e6-d7d43b235381.html

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DMC

• Disability and community: https://disabledchristianity.blogspot.com/2019/04/disability-as-it-relates-to-people.html
• Limited mobility parking: https://www.facebook.com/PresbyteriansForDisabilityConcerns/photos/a.376591799737645/376591809737644/?type=3&theater
• It's all about relationships: http://www.gcumm.org/news/it-s-all-about-relationshipsi/
• Disability humor: http://www.newmobility.com/2019/04/dealing-with-the-normies/
• Fractured: https://baptistnews.com/article/as-the-mother-of-a-child-with-autism-i-see-how-preaching-and-practicing-the-gospel-are-fractured/

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MHM

• Mental Health webinars from CFOI: https://www.facebook.com/186943104662050/photos/a.212469705442723/2288361431186863/?type=3&theater

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NEJ Deaf Ministry Boot Camp, May 18, 2019
https://www.umcd.org/newsnej/1905.html
-
Click here for a list of events of interest to people in disability ministry.

This newsletter is generally issued weekly -- but probably not next week -- by the
United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities,
a caucus of the United Methodist Church.
Click here to join this e-mail list.
This newsletter is also published on the UM Disability Blog
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

New co-chairs at AMD and statement on recommended language

The United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities (UMAMD) announce that Rev. Jonathan Campbell of the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference and Rev. Hank Jenkins of the Missouri Annual Conference have been elected as co-chairs. Their term began April 1.

Rev. Jonathan Campbell is an ordained elder in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference (GNJAC).  He is currently the pastor of Old First UMC in West Long Branch.  He previously worked at CUMAC-ECHO, a large feeding and ministry center, in Paterson as the Operations Director.  He serves the GNJAC as the Peace with Justice Coordinator. He enjoys preaching, teaching, and helping individuals find and deepen their faith through worship, educational opportunities, and mission. He is blessed to be the father of three amazing young men, Jeremiah (16), Nathan (13), and Christopher (10).

Rev. Hank Jenkins is an Ordained Deacon in the Missouri Annual Conference. He and his wife have been living in Oxford, England, for the past two years as she works as a research fellow at the University of Oxford. Currently appointed as a student, Rev. Jenkins is pursuing his Doctor of Ministry through Wesley Theological Seminary, focusing on holiness, effective ministry and engagement with the world. Before starting his D.Min., Rev. Jenkins served as a youth minister in the Missouri and Oklahoma Annual Conferences.

Rev. Campbell and Rev. Jenkins look forward to continuing the work of outgoing co-chairs Rev. Russell Ewell and Rev. Janine DeLaunay in advocating and educating for the ministries of people with disabilities.


The UMAMD would also like to announce the release of the following statement regarding recommended language for referencing people with disabilities. The UMAMD encourages all UMC church leaders to use this statement when publishing, speaking or preaching to or about people with disabilities:


Language for Persons with Disabilities


For centuries, words and terms have been used to identify people, for a variety of reasons and purposes. This is the same for persons with disabilities. We recognize the specific needs that a person diagnosed with a physical, sensory, neurological, mental health and any other condition may require. Old descriptors, such as handicap, mental retardation, mentally-ill, wheelchair bound, and hearing impairment, have a way of putting up attitudinal barriers toward our Christian brothers and sisters due to misconceptions about their abilities and their place within the body of Christ. Certainly, words, when used carelessly, hurt and injure others. When we identify someone by noting their disability first, the reference is often negative, and so is the attitude. By adopting improved ways of thinking and talking about persons with disabilities, we have an opportunity to exert a positive influence on their lives, as well as on our faith community and our denomination as a whole. We've seen the power of language on other groups.  Making vocabulary changes helps to remove harmful descriptors that can reduce attitudinal barriers for persons with disabilities. Our society has already shelved harmful words like cripple, lame, retarded, and deaf and dumb. Equally important is to be aware of words like disadvantaged, challenged, and defective.

Society as a whole means well by using euphemisms like “differently-abled” and “special needs,” but it is important to note society has and can continue to attach negative connotations to words as has occurred with the terms “disability” and “disabled.” This distortion of meaning helps fuel ableism in our society.  It is important to recognize that many persons with disabilities do not find anything wrong with the words disability and disabled because they refuse to accept the negative connotations. When it comes to labels affecting individuals, it is always best to ask the person what term he or she is comfortable using. 

The disability community is not of one mind when it comes to disability language, including the UMAMD. However, first person language is often preferred over descriptors alone. For example: a person who has bipolar disorder, rather than he/she is bipolar, or a person with a disability, instead of he or she is disabled. Identity-first language and person-first language are commonly based on personal preference and/or a sense of pride (e.g., some Deaf people feel proud to be Deaf because it has a rich culture with a language and history). 

Below are examples of person-first language the UMAMD would recommend when discussing persons with disabilities:

* blind and/or low vision
* sensory disability
* Deaf (refers to a culturally deaf person when using a capital D)
* hard of hearing (refers to those with some residual hearing)
* intellectual disability (instead of developmental disability)
* a person with Down Syndrome
* a person with cerebral palsy
* a person on the Autism spectrum
* a person with mental health problem
* a person with a substance use disorder (not “she’s an addict”)
* a person who uses a wheelchair

For a more comprehensive list, The National Center on Disability and Journalism has a glossary. It can be found at http://ncdj.org/style-guide/.

News and notes from AMD, 5 April 2019

Here are the highlights of postings this week from the Association of Ministers with Disabilities, Disability Ministries Committee, Mental Health Ministries, Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Ministries Committee, and UM Congress of the Deaf:
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General Boards and Agencies meet to support Disability Ministries
https://umdisability.blogspot.com/2019/04/general-boards-and-agencies-meet-to.html
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AMD

• The Arc: Special Olympics saved, but what about the other cuts? https://blog.thearc.org/2019/03/29/special-olympics-saved-but-what-about-all-the-other-disability-program-cuts-in-presidents-budget/
• Dr.  Phil, you're wrong! https://beckiewrites.com/2019/04/01/relationshipsdisabledinterabled/
• How churches can partner with mental health services: https://network.crcna.org/disability-concerns/10-ways-churches-can-partner-mental-health-services
• Julian Way: advocate for health care, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/despite-rulings-medicaid-work-requirement-leaves-16-000-arkansans-without-n989211
• Thirty pieces of silver: https://crippastor.wordpress.com/2019/04/04/thirty-pieces-of-silver-its-up-to-you/

DMC

• Use a microphone: https://www.chronicle.com/article/a-note-from-your-colleagues/245916
• Driving with a disability (and infographic accessibility example): https://beckiewrites.com/2019/03/26/disabilitydriving/
• Disability representation in children's books: https://kevintimpe.com/disability-representation-in-childrens-books/
• Beckie Writes: another children's book: https://beckiewrites.com/2019/03/26/tayaokerlundspecset/

DHM - UMCD

• Hearing info crowdsourcing: https://katherinebouton.com/2019/03/27/crowdsourcing-hearing-info/
• Take care of hearing devices: https://blog.medel.com/how-to-keep-your-audio-processor-in-top-condition/
• Samuel Gnanarajah visits rural Deaf: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2659485684078278&id=260161100677427&notif_id=1554382022455334

MHM

• The church's mental health crisis:https://johnpavlovitz.com/2019/03/29/the-christian-churchs-mental-health-crisis/
  

Events 

• RespectAbility webinar, From Longing to Belonging, April 10, 2019 https://www.respectability.org/2019/01/from-longing-to-belonging/
• NEJ Deaf Ministry Boot Camp, May 18, 2019 https://www.umcd.org/newsnej/1905.html
  

-
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.
This newsletter is also published on the UM Disability Blog
Visit us on the web or Facebook.

General Boards and Agencies meet to support Disability Ministries

General Board and Agencies Meet to Support Disability Ministries

By Rev. Leo Yates, Jr.  

Representatives from several United Methodist boards and agencies met with representatives from the United Methodist Association of Ministers with Disabilities (UMAMD) and the DisAbility Ministries Committee (DMC) on April 2. Thomas Kemper (GBGM) suggested and funded this meeting and Bishop Peggy Johnson and Rev Leo Yates prepared the logistics. The meeting was held in Baltimore, Maryland. It included representatives from the General Board of Global Ministries (GBGM), General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (GBHEM), General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), United Methodist Women (UMW), United Methodist Men (UMM), General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR), and Discipleship Ministries. The meeting opened with worship led by Bishop Johnson. 

Soon after, representatives networked and shared brief reports of how their board or agency engages with persons with disabilities. Bishop Johnson has sought to find an agency for the DMC after it had stopped receiving financial support from GBGM. Following their reports was a disability awareness briefing that was led by Rev. Debby Hills, a deacon from the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference and a member of the DMC. 

Currently, Bishop Johnson is assigned to the DMC, which is temporarily overseen by the Council of Bishops. It was noted that 20-25% of persons in the world have some sort of disability and many are underserved, and often oppressed; moreover, this population is vital in all the work we do across boards and agencies. The Rev. Giovanni Arroyo of GCORR shared with the group that Erin Hawkins, the General Secretary of GCORR, had been having conversations with Bishop Johnson about bringing the DMC into GCORR. It was pointed out how both the DMC and GCORR have a strong emphasis of advocacy in their work. All persons present were delighted to hear the news. While there was an initial conversation immediately following the group meeting, a transitional meeting is planned for this fall. 

Included in the agenda was a discussion of proposed disability-related legislation and resolutions for General Conference 2020, which was facilitated by Rev. Jackson Day, a representative of GBCS and an advocate for persons with disabilities. Those present provided input and feedback to better perfect the proposals. The final legislation discussed would place the DMC back into The Book of Discipline. It had been (unintentionally) removed from the 2016 General Conference, which led to it losing financial support from GBGM. It was pointed out by Sabrina Rodgers, of GBGM, that the agencies present had shown to be engaged in various forms of ministries and programs with persons and communities with disabilities. Rev. Jonathan Campbell, the co-chairperson of UMAMD (a caucus) added that including it helps to ensure another level of accountability from discrimination, in which he shared briefly his own personal experience of ableism when he went through the ordination process. The representatives from UMAMD and DMC shared their appreciation for everyone's input.

The session concluded with the sharing of a "hopes list" that was facilitated by Rev. Leo Yates, Jr., a consultant with the Committee on Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministries (GBGM). The disability groups identified ways the boards and agencies can be more accessible and engaged with them and persons with disabilities. For example, Yates requested their websites be better accessible so they can be reader-friendly for persons with vision loss and by the use of captions (on videos) for those who are Deaf and hard of hearing. Rev. Nancy Webb, a UMAMD representative, expressed the hope that each of boards and agencies' public events be more accessible, as well as using venues that were accessible. Campbell encouraged the boards and agencies to utilize the disability group's expertise and knowledge when funding large programs or projects to ensure their vitality. Rev. Russell Ewell, a deacon and the outgoing co-chairperson of UMAMD, encouraged each board and agency to have a person with a disability or an advocate for persons with disabilities on their board of directors (or committees) to bring the much needed voice and perspective. When discussing funding support, the Rev. Sung-Ok Lee, representing the UMW, announced to the group that she will propose to the UMW to provide $500 a month to help support the DMC with staffing.

Bishop Johnson thanked everyone for attending the meeting and encouraged everyone to continue to stay engaged in this important work.

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