We define what an accommodation is and why it matters for disability ministry in the local church. We also draw a clear line between providing access and walking with someone in real discipleship, because both belong together. • disability stats that reveal an access gap in churches • a clear definition of accommodation as barrier removal • how accommodation gets twisted into avoiding disruption • practical church accommodations like sensory-friendly spaces, visual supports, accessible communication, and buddies • why accommodation and discipleship are not competing goals • the key differences between access and spiritual growth • 1 Corinthians 12 and the call to treat every member as indispensable • a both-and approach where accommodation leads to discipleship If you want to dive deeper on your own, you can check out the Indispensable People blog or my books on Amazon called The Indispensable Kid or Gospel Accessibility and the Indispensable People.
Hey, hey, my name is Tracy Coral, and welcome to Indispensable People. I'm a pastor, a teacher, a missionary, a mom, a wife, and I believe that every person should have access to the gospel so that they can know Christ, grow in him, and serve him with the gifts that he has given. Over 65 million Americans have a disability. That's 15 to 20% of every community. And over 85% of those individuals do not attend church. 90% of pastors believe that they are a disability-friendly church, but only 20% of parents and families agree. Let's dive deep into hard topics, big questions, perceptions, stereotypes, and so much more.
Hey, hey, and welcome to this episode of Indispensable People. We're talking accommodations today. So, what is an accommodation? An accommodation is a change, a support, or an adjustment that removes a barrier so that a person can participate meaningfully. So, why are we talking about this? It seems like a basic set of information when talking about disability ministry and what that looks like in a church and the things that we can do. Well, last week I had an interaction with someone and I loved, loved, loved when they responded. They responded to someone else's post on Facebook, similar to saying an accommodation versus discipling. Like what's the difference? Okay. So here's where, so part that statement made me start thinking, and I loved their statement, right? Because when I think accommodation, right, I'm looking at it from an education perspective, whereas we provided accommodation so that students can fully participate and grow in their knowledge and their ability. Okay. So accommodation necessarily is not a bad term, right? And when we read this definition that I looked up when it says an accommodation is a change of support or an adjustment that removes a barrier so that a person can participate meaningfully. Okay. So that's not a bad thing, right? That's a good thing. That means that whatever you're doing is making way for the person to be able to engage, to participate, to grow, to be discipled. So that means like one thing leads to the next piece, right? So in a church setting, accommodation answers the question, what can we change or provide so this person can participate? Here's where I think the negative went. Okay. I think accommodation got associated with what can we do so this person isn't burdened, so this need isn't evident, so that we're not disrupted, so that those kinds of things. So I think it got associated with the negative in the sense of how can we we can provide this accommodation so that this person can be a non-issue. And that's really not the case. The heart of an accommodation is the provision so that a person can fully participate and grow meaningfully. So
for someone with a disability, an accommodation might include providing a quieter sensory-friendly space, allowing someone to move, to sit, to stand, to use a sensory tool during service. It might be providing visual schedules or simplified instructions. It could be offering large print or braille or accessible communication, having a buddy or support system or support person of some sort, adjusting the way that the Bible lesson is presented, providing additional time to respond or participate, modifying an activity so the person can participate alongside of their peers. The goal isn't to give someone an unfair advantage, the goal is to remove an unnecessary barrier. That's where the negativity came in, or the accommodation came because they didn't want behavioral issues from this person or whatever or whatnot. But what
we need to understand is that the accommodation makes way for discipleship. So it's really not one without the other. It's not one that is better than the other. An accommodation removes a barrier. Discipleship helps a person to grow. An accommodation makes participation possible, where discipleship develops, helps people develop spiritual maturity. Accommodation asks how they can participate, and discipleship asks how they can grow. Accommodation focuses on access where discipleship focuses on relationship and transformation. Accommodation may involve changing the environment or the methods. And discipleship involves teaching, mentoring, serving, prayer, worship, and relationship. Accommodation is a support where discipleship is a spiritual journey. Accommodation needs to be individualized and social discipleship. Accommodation, the goal is access. For discipleship, the goal is growth. Accommodation gets someone through the door. Discipleship helps them become who God created them to be. We can accommodate someone without truly discipling them. But discipleship should ask how can we teach this person about Jesus in a way they can understand? How can they participate in the body of Christ? How can they discover and use their God-given gifts? How can we build meaningful spiritual relationships with them? Accommodation says, let's change what we're doing so you could be here. Discipleship says, you're a part of us. Let's walk with Jesus together. Accommodation should never become a substitute for discipleship. And a person with a disability shouldn't merely be accommodated in the church, they should be discipled as a member of the church.
And this really fits with everything that we talk about from 1 Corinthians 12, because Paul doesn't describe some members as spectators who need to be accommodated, but by but as real members. And he says, Paul says that every part of the body is necessary, it's indispensable. So accommodation makes room at the table. Discipleship re-recognizes that the person belongs at the table and has something to contribute. So as you continue to serve individuals at your church, as you continue to create a disability ministry, to integrate that ministry of people throughout your whole church, where you consider how you can go about doing that, creating strategies, talking about verbiage, how to reach these people. Remember that the accommodation leads way for discipleship. Accommodation isn't discipleship, and discipleship isn't going to fully be available to someone without the accommodation. So it's a both, it's not a it's not an or, it's an and. But the ultimate goal is discipleship. The accommodation is the way in which we get there. I can't claim to have all the answers. I can't claim to know all the things, but here's what we are gonna do. We're gonna keep this conversation going. We're gonna make the accessible gospel available to individuals with disabilities in our churches and in our communities so that every person has the opportunity to know Christ, to grow in him, and to serve him. If
you want to dive deeper on your own, you can check out the Indispensable People blog or my books on Amazon called The Indispensable Kid or Gospel Accessibility and the Indispensable People.
