A Movement of Lay Professionals

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A Movement of Lay Professionals

• Jeff McNair Ph.D.
• California Baptist University
• President, National Association of Christians in
  Special Education

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Social Constructions of Disability

• The social construction of disability is based
  on the theory of social construction, which
  asserts that meaning is created, learned and
  shared by people. Created meaning is then
  reflected in the behaviors, objects, and language
  used by people
• (Bogdan Biklen, 1977)

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Social Constructionist vs. Social Creationist
(Oliver, 1990)

• Social constructionist view of disability views
  the problem as being located in the minds of
  able-bodied people. Through the manifestation of
  hostile social attitudes and the enactment of
  social policies based upon a tragic view of
  disability.
• Social creationist view sees the problem as
  located within the institutionalized practices of
  society.
• Arguably, within the Church we struggle with
• both types of social constructions

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Social Constructions of Disability

• Obstacles to inclusion of people with
  disabilities in community life are not based
  solely on the persons functional limitations,
  but rather on societys response to people with
  disabilities people with disabilities have
  experienced constructed obstacles leading to a
  lack of inclusion. . . (Devine, 1997)

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Social Constructions of Disability

• Obstacles to inclusion of people with
  disabilities in community life are not based
  solely on the persons functional limitations,
  but rather on societys response to people with
  disabilities people with disabilities have
  experienced constructed obstacles leading to a
  lack of inclusion... (Devine, 1997)
• In most developed societies it is now widely
  recognized that the severe economic and social
  deprivations encountered by disabled people
  cannot be explained simply with reference to
  individually based functional limitations
  (Barnes, 1995)

6
Social Constructions of Disability

• Obstacles to inclusion of people with
  disabilities in community life are not based
  solely on the persons functional limitations,
  but rather on societys response to people with
  disabilities people with disabilities have
  experienced constructed obstacles leading to a
  lack of inclusion... (Devine, 1997)
• In most developed societies it is now widely
  recognized that the severe economic and social
  deprivations encountered by disabled people
  cannot be explained simply with reference to
  individually based functional limitations
  (Barnes, 1995)
• Disability is then a form of social
  disadvantage, which is imposed on top of
  physiological impairment (Tremain, 2002)

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Social Constructions of Disability

• Obstacles to inclusion of people with
  disabilities in community life are not based
  solely on the persons functional limitations,
  but rather on societys response to people with
  disabilities people with disabilities have
  experienced constructed obstacles leading to a
  lack of inclusion... (Devine, 1997)
• In most developed societies it is now widely
  recognized that the severe economic and social
  deprivations encountered by disabled people
  cannot be explained simply with reference to
  individually based functional limitations
  (Barnes, 1995)
• Disability is then a form of social
  disadvantage, which is imposed on top of
  physiological impairment (Tremain, 2002)
• They also see themselves as pitiful because they
  are socialized into accepting disability as a
  tragedy personal to themselves (Oliver, 1990)

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Social Constructions of Disability

• Obstacles to inclusion of people with
  disabilities in community life are not based
  solely on the persons functional limitations,
  but rather on societys response to people with
  disabilities people with disabilities have
  experienced constructed obstacles leading to a
  lack of inclusion... (Devine, 1997)
• In most developed societies it is now widely
  recognized that the severe economic and social
  deprivations encountered by disabled people
  cannot be explained simply with reference to
  individually based functional limitations
  (Barnes, 1995)
• Disability is then a form of social
  disadvantage, which is imposed on top of
  physiological impairment (Tremain, 2002)
• They also see themselves as pitiful because they
  are socialized into accepting disability as a
  tragedy personal to themselves (Oliver, 1990)
• Disability becomes the primary basis of
  identification, one which mutes other
  characteristics (Fritsch, 2004)

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Return-on-investment (Snell and Brown, 2006)

• The return-on-investment value orientation is
  based on a curative mentality that sends negative
  messages to children with disabilities and their
  families. Imagine what it might be like to
  continually get the message, "You are not OK the
  way your are. In order to be OK, your disability
  has to be fixed and you need to be more like us
  (people without disabilities)."

10
Return-on-investment (Snell and Brown, 2006)

• The return-on-investment value orientation is
  based on a curative mentality that sends negative
  messages to children with disabilities and their
  families. Imagine what it might be like to
  continually get the message, "You are not OK the
  way your are. In order to be OK, your disability
  has to be fixed and you need to be more like us
  (people without disabilities)."
• Increasingly, self-advocates are asking that
  their disabilities be viewed as a form of natural
  human diversity and that others' efforts be less
  about "fixing" a person's disabilities and more
  about accepting individuals for who they are and
  providing necessary and self-determined supports.

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Return-on-investment (Snell and Brown, 2006)

• The return-on-investment value orientation is
  based on a curative mentality that sends negative
  messages to children with disabilities and their
  families. Imagine what it might be like to
  continually get the message, "You are not OK the
  way your are. In order to be OK, your disability
  has to be fixed and you need to be more like us
  (people without disabilities)."
• Increasingly, self-advocates are asking that
  their disabilities be viewed as a form of natural
  human diversity and that others' efforts be less
  about "fixing" a person's disabilities and more
  about accepting individuals for who they are and
  providing necessary and self-determined supports.
• In addition, the return-on-investment approach
  tends to discriminate against individuals with
  the most severe disabilities. It seeks to justify
  the differential valuing of people and the
  services they receive on the basis of the
  severity of their disability characteristics.
  Anytime schools sanction practices that imply
  that some students are more worthy of staff time
  and resources than other students, there is a
  serious problem. All children are worthy,
  although they have differing needs.
• But even if we were to select some people over
  others, who would God choose?

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Return on investmentWho would God choose?

• But God chose the foolish things of the world to
  shame the wise God chose the weak things of the
  world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly
  things of this world and the despised things -
  and the things that are not - to nullify the
  things that are, so that no one may boast before
  him. (1 Corinthians 1 27-29)
• Listen my dear brothers Has not God chosen those
  who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich
  in faith and to inherit the kingdom promised
  those who love him? But you have insulted the
  poorIf you really keep the royal law found in
  Scripture, Love your neighbor as yourself, you
  are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you
  sin and are convicted by the law as law breakers.
  (James 2 5-9)
• Even Friedrich Nietzsche noted in The Antichrist,
  
• Christianity has taken the part of all the the
  weak, the low, the botched
• THE CHURCH IS DISOBEDIENT

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Christian Social Constructions of Disability

• Part of the answer is undoubtedly that these
  ideologies are so deeply embedded in social
  consciousness generally that they become facts
  they are naturalized. Thus everyone knows that
  disability is a personal tragedy for individuals
  so affected hence ideology becomes common
  sense. (Oliver, 1990)

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We need lay professionals to confront

• Common sense based barriers to efforts to
  include persons with disabilities in the local
  church have resulted from
• An ignorance of who people with disability
  actually are
• In spite of Jesus interactions with persons with
  disability
• The 20 of the population who are disabled
• Congregational members with children with
  disabilities

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We need lay professionals to confront

• Common sense based barriers to efforts to
  include persons with disabilities in the local
  church have resulted from
• An ignorance of who people with disability
  actually are
• In spite of Jesus interactions with persons with
  disability
• The 20 of the population who are disabled
• Congregational members with children with
  disabilities
• Imagined perceptions of who people with
  disability are
• Disability is the result of sin (either
  individually or the Fall)
• Devil or angel mindsets
• People with disabilities are somehow different

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We need lay professionals to confront

• Common sense based barriers to efforts to
  include persons with disabilities in the local
  church have resulted from
• An ignorance of who people with disability
  actually are
• In spite of Jesus interactions with persons with
  disability
• The 20 of the population who are disabled
• Congregational members with children with
  disabilities
• Imagined perceptions of who people with
  disability are
• Disability is the result of sin (either
  individually or the Fall)
• Devil or angel mindsets
• People with disabilities are somehow different
• Imagined ideas of what a ministry involves or
  what is required to engage persons with
  disabilities
• The ministry will cost too much
• The ministry will take too much time
• Workers in the ministry need a great deal of
  training
• They will drive other members of the congregation
  away
• We can choose to not serve people with
  disabilities

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We need lay professionals

• who
• challenge society to reconceptualize the way we
  think about disability and the person with the
  disability. (Devine, 1997)
• We need to challenge the Church!

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• How would we conceptualize a Biblically based,
  Christian construction of disability?
• How would that construction look in the Church?
• Who has the knowledge and experience to
  facilitate the development of change in the way
  the Church sees all people, including people with
  disability?

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One Biblical example

• John 93-5 (NIV) says,
• "Neither this man or his parents sinned" said
  Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God
  might be displayed in his life. As long as it is
  day, we must do the work of him who sent me.
  Night is coming when no one can work.
• Merril C. Tenney, the Bible scholar wrote that
  this passage might be translated in a different
  way. Here is Tenney's translation.
• "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents" said
  Jesus. "But that the works of God should be made
  manifest in him, we must work the works of him
  that sent me, while it is still day the night
  cometh when no man can work.

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A Biblical mandate

• Luke 1248 (NIV)
• From everyone who has been given much, much
  will be demanded and from the one who has been
  entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
• Who should we expect to be the ones
  facilitating/developing ministry to persons with
  disability if not the Christian professionals in
  the field of disability?
• The Church hasnt done it, pastors havent done
  it but who in the Church really has the
  knowledge and experience to change the Church,
  that the works of God should be made manifest?
  The answer is in the same passage. We, the lay
  professionals, must work the works of him that
  sent me, while it is still day the night cometh
  when no man can work.

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NO EXCUSES

• Why would I not offer my best, the skill I have
  studied and been trained in, the work that I
  spend most of my time doing, the years of
  experience I have, the vocation I am committed
  to?
• Please dont tell your Lord
• Thats my job, I need a break on weekends
• I am not allowed to fraternize with clients
• Separation of Church and State
• I am too busy, I dont have the time
• I separate my work life from my spiritual life
• Fill in your favorite excuse, but dont try it!
• If you dont do it, who do you expect will?

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We need lay professionals

• Too often weve heard from the pulpit of a
  church
• We are all equal in Gods sight
• God loves us all the same
• We are all the same at the foot of the cross
• You fill in the blank
• But then you look around the Church for the 19
  of the population that the US Census Bureau says
  are disabledwhere are they?
• These people honor me with their lips, but their
  hearts are far from me (Matthew 158)

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We need lay professionals

• To bring people with disabilities into the Church
  because the leadership and the institutions of
  the Church are not inviting them in to the degree
  they should.
• If ministry is not a priority, it will become one
  as we begin to invite and include persons with
  disability in our churches.
• Teach this phrase
• I have a disability and I know your Bible. Now
  where do you want me to sit?

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We need lay professionals

• Professionals who realize that
• the Church desperately needs to offer social
  integration
• to be obedient
• the State is desperately seeking social
  integration
• to best serve clients
• disabled persons desperately want social
  integration
• to develop relationships

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The degree to which the Churchs structures do
not include persons with disability, is the
degree to which we live in disobedience within
the church.This is our call for this time.
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Thank you for your attention!

• For more information, go to
• http//jeffmcnair.com
• or
• http//nacsped.com