New resources out for Disability Awareness Sunday 2023 challenge Anglicans to revisit the design of community life to make sure everyone is welcome to participate, serve and share the Good News.

This year Disability Awareness Sunday focuses on sharing faith with all people – and by all people – with the theme, ‘Proclaim the Good News: The Kingdom of Heaven has come near’, ‘Pānuitia te rongopai: Kua tata mai te rangatiratanga o te rangi.’ 

When Disability Ministry Educator Cherryl Thompson took up her role, she said that the best place to improve our welcome to people with disabilities is to start with those already part of our church whānau.

“A lot of people tend to think that becoming more disability inclusive is about ‘those disabled people out there’, but every community has people with disabilities (often older people with hearing or mobility issues) and they may already feel disabled by aspects of church life that they cannot join.” 

Cherryl says that's why the best first step is to enable your existing church whānau to take part in every aspect of church life.

Disability Ministry Educator Rev Vicki Terrell says that this year with Disability Awareness Sunday falling alongside Te Pouhere Sunday, it makes sense to centre our reflection on the many ways that our diversity enriches our community life together.

For Vicki, that is not only through the insights and variations amongst our different cultures, impairments, abilities and perspectives, but in the way that together, in our diversity, we become more fully Christ’s holy people.

“Diversity enhances our life in the body of Christ, we become more the body of Christ as we empower each other to live out our calling as ministers of the Good News.”

However, Vicki also points out that in making room for diversity, we may have to shift out of our comfort zones, or seek solutions that meet needs we never realised existed. 

“In embracing diversity there are challenges. Challenges to go beyond what we know and the way we are used to doing things.” 

2023 Disability Awareness Sunday resources include prayers of Great Thanksgiving in Te Reo Māori and English, with collects, waiata and sermon ideas for disability-related kauwhau this Sunday 18 June.

New resources for this year are a series of simple colourful A4 posters to hang on the walls of churches, marae or halls.  

These posters are dotted with clear and practical ideas that gently remind the whole community to remember each others' diverse needs and contributions throughout the rest of the year. 

A theological poster sets out a Trinitarian understanding of inclusion, and further posters encourage communities to be prepared to welcome all:

– By providing inclusive web access for all to share the Good News

– By understanding people who live with Multiple Sclerosis

– By catering for food allergies

– By printing large font bulletins

– By ensuring easy and autonomous wheelchair access

– By adding good quality audio systems and strategies

– By communicating well about facilities available

– By making space and time for people with autism

Cherryl and Vicki hope that every Anglican Church around the motu will use Disability Awareness Sunday this week as an opportunity to revisit the design of their community life, searching for ways our church homes can be reshaped to welcome the most diverse range of people. 

“Disability Awareness Sunday is about building relationships, seeing common humanity in each other and not being afraid to engage and listen – especially to each other as community members who live with different gifts and disabilities.”  

This year’s Disability Sunday resources for Sunday 18 June are available from the Anglican Social Justice site’s Disability Ministry Resources pages.