Power Grid Blog
Amazing Gifts
July 31, 2012 | Heather Rasmussen
Last Thursday, July 26th, was the 22nd anniversary of the ADA. It was also the day that AAPD presented its 2012 Justice for All awards. One of the awardees was well-know religion writer Mark Pinsky. His latest book, Amazing Gifts, takes a non-conventional twist, looking at religion and faith from the point of view of people with disabilities and their families. In Amazing Gifts, Mark Pinsky recounts 64 phenomenal real-life stories of the struggles faced by people with disabilities for acceptance by and inclusion in their faith communities. Mark Pinsky more than deserves the JFA award for this wonderful book! I have read Amazing Gifts.
Here’s a brief depiction of how I view it, as a person with a disability who has faced many challenges and truly appreciates what Mark Pinsky has done for our community.
The first section of Amazing Gifts tells stories of congregations welcoming and working to integrate people with disabilities. As a blind person, I have faced challenges with involvement in a faith community, and I found the ways in which congregations reached out to these members very heart-warming. One story that stood out to me was the psychiatric counseling group that a Hindu temple leader started to offer support to congregation members with mental illnesses. Psychiatric disabilities are often overlooked, and the fact that this temple cared for this need of its members’ is remarkable. Then there was a church that started special services for people with intellectual disabilities from a group home. The church later incorporated some of them into its regular services, choir, and as greeters. The church stuck by its guns, even after some people left because the new members made them uncomfortable. I think that this kind of fortitude is essential for any good faith community and what made this church’s efforts so successful.
The second section discusses faith leaders with disabilities. As in most vocations, we are underrepresented here. I particularly liked a story about a Rabbi who suffered a traumatic brain injury, underwent intensive rehabilitation, and slowly returned to living her calling. I suffered a traumatic brain injury at the age of two, which caused my blindness. I also went through recovery and therapy, and like the rabbi, still live with effects of my injury. I also empathize with the story of a blind seminary student who is called to become a Catholic priest. I have faced some of the same difficulties he encounters in my academic career, although I’m not studying theology.
The third section tells stories of the family members of people with disabilities. It recounts how they draw support from and struggle in their faith communities. I found it informative and really enjoyable to see this perspective. The incredible stories of synagogues creating modified bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs for children with intellectual disabilities who were coming of age really stood out to me. As I understand, coming from a Christian background, these are extremely important events in Jewish communities. The parents, rabbis, and congregations worked hard to create modified classes and ceremonies for these children. This allowed them to have the full, valuable experience just like their peers without disabilities!
Also impressive was the story of a church that felt called to minister to local parents of kids with disabilities, so they started Buddy Break! This program provides day camp for children with disabilities. It gives their parents much-needed time to spend with other family members or run errands. The churches involved put in an enormous amount of effort and money to serve this community. These amazing examples of congregations stepping up to the plate and doing the right thing were very inspiring.
I think that Amazing Gifts is really a picture of a specific application of the general mission of all faith communities everywhere: to help their members and better the world around them. It gives me hope for the greater inclusion of persons with disabilities in spiritual communities and for the strengthening of America’s communities of faith. It also gives me hope for my own inclusion in a church. I recommend Amazing Gifts to everyone, especially those with disabilities and those searching for spiritual comfort. Amazing Gifts will encourage both.
