WEBVTT

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Well, you've made it through a

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lot.

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At this point, we have a

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ministry purpose statement, an inventory of

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assets and opportunities for your church,

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goals and action steps, and a

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plan for inviting your congregation and

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leaders in.

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But unique scenarios will always arise.

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That is the nature of disability

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ministry.

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That's right.

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So at this point, we're going

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to dive into some really specific

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scenarios that churches may encounter and

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talk about how we would suggest

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addressing them.

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Whenever you encounter a scenario you

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aren't sure how to address, don't

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forget that you can always reach

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out to us to discuss.

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Our goal is for you to

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never feel alone on your journey

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of disability inclusion.

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So let's get started with the

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first question.

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The first question is, what do

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we do if we have stairs

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or steps to our sanctuary and

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we have an attendee who uses

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a wheelchair?

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This is actually a scenario we've

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seen a lot.

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There are lots of creative ways

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to address this, but our first

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suggestion would be to create an

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accessible overflow room where the sermon

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can be live-streamed.

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Make sure this space isn't just

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for that one individual so that

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they don't feel isolated, but that

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others may use the space as

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well.

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Perhaps families, people who don't like

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crowds, or people who come in

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late.

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Have a volunteer or leader in

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that room as well.

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Of course, if resources allow, you

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can always consider a lift or

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elevator or more drastic renovation.

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But the inability to do that

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doesn't mean that there isn't a

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way for someone with a mobility

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impairment to be involved.

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If you're thinking of a solution

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for a specific person, it's always

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important to discuss your ideas and

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their needs with that person or

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family so they can provide input

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into your plan.

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You wouldn't want to install a

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chairlift, for example, if the only

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person who would use it isn't

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comfortable getting in it.

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Alright, second question.

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What do we do if we

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have an individual who vocalizes or

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makes noise that is considered distracting

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or disruptive during the service?

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Good question.

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We've dealt with this personally as

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well.

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This one can really depend on

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the culture of your church.

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Ideally, we'd love to help congregations

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move into a place where they

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understand this as a typical behavior

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for some disabilities, and to even

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welcome and rejoice in these experiences

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because it means that individual is

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able to hear God's Word.

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However, we know that this could

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be difficult for some churches.

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It could be a tough place

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to start.

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So most likely you'll want to

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begin with creating a space or

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room where the individual or family

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can step out and listen to

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the service.

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Just like we said before, before

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you begin a project like this,

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try to discuss the needs and

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plans with the people affected to

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get their thoughts and ideas first.

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And final question for today, what

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do we do if we have

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a child in our Sunday school

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who can be aggressive?

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We know this can be scary,

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and this may be a scenario

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where you want to consult extensively

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with the family and their care

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team.

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Perhaps an occupational therapist could provide

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strategies that work well for that

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specific individual to prevent aggression and

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respond to their needs.

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Depending on the family's comfort level,

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you could train a buddy for

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that child's specific needs.

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Most of the time, it is

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possible and preferable to include people

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with disabilities in the classroom with

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others their age so that they

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both can experience the joy of

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the blessing of the diverse body

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of Christ.

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But it is, of course, important

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to make sure that there is

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adequate support for teachers and students

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to enable a positive experience of

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mainstreaming.

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Having an assistant or buddy available

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can allow for that child to

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go to a separate sensory-friendly space

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if needed.

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In some extreme circumstances, you could

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have that student in their own

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space with a few volunteers who

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can adapt the Sunday school lesson

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to that child's learning needs.

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If parents feel uncomfortable leaving their

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child, they are, of course, welcome

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to stay with them, but you

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should always be working towards a

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place where the parent feels free

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to stay or leave as they

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are comfortable, so that they feel

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ministered to and refreshed by their

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church experience, rather than exhausted and

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burdened.

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Those are great examples of some

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of the scenarios that might come

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up as you start to include

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people with disabilities.

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But there are obviously many more.

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Remember that we're always here to

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brainstorm or research solutions that you

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may come up against.

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And remember that any challenging scenario

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that you encounter is a great

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evidence that you are including someone

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who has been told in the

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past that they were too difficult

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to include.

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No one is too difficult for

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Jesus to include and you are

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sharing his heart with them.