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Arc Faith Group
Vision:
The religious needs of individuals with special needs/disabilities are being fully met. The Need areas are:
- Social
- Religious Education/spiritual growth
- Advocacy
- Ministry Involvement
Visible or Invisible?
If someone asks you “what are the major types of disabilities?” there may be quite a
discussion, with answers like “intellectual, psychiatric, physical, and sensory,” but I
contend that there are only two major types of disabilities: visible and invisible. All of
the major disabilities will fall into one or other of these two.
Click Here to Read More
Written by:
John Miers is a retired federal worker, having been in management, diversity, and disability issues for a major agency. He is active in the disability communities at the county and state levels, as well as for his local parish, diocese, and national church. He assists houses of worship with accessibility surveys. He is assistant chaplain at a local hospital. He sings in his church choir, has 4 daughters and 3 grandchildren, and is an avid gardener.
John G. Miers
5510 Huntington Parkway
Bethesda, MD 20814
Johngmiers@comcast.net
Mission:
- To obtain Faith Community Leadership and congregation commitment to address the unmet needs of people with special needs/disabilities
- To serve as a resource for the Midland area faith community to accomplish the vision of the Arc Faith Group
Our Hope is to...
PROMOTE understanding and acceptance of different needs among people.
ENCOURAGE faith communities to recognize and use the potential and strengths of people with disabilities.
PROVIDE tools and resources to enable congregations to address the desires and needs of a person with a disability.
SHARE with each other what successes are occurring in our area.
We Offer to You:
- AFIRE: an exciting interactive disability awareness program tailored to the needs of your congregation
- A visual presentation highlighting the role of the church in the life of a person with a disability
- Assistance with writing disability-related grants
- A lending library of books, tapes and articles
- Ongoing support, help and encouragement
- The Arc of Midland website highlighting religious participation
- A conduit to share success stories
- A searchable database of area congregations:
The Arc Faith Group
RESOURCE DIRECTORY
FOR
MIDLAND AREA CONGREGATIONS
How to use this Guide:
The Arc Faith Group, a volunteer committee of The Arc of Midland, compiled the information in this directory. Please know that it is not all-inclusive and is the best information to our knowledge as of March 1, 2009.
Anyone wishing to visit a congregation, we encourage you to use this information to contact the congregation(s) of your choice and make an appointment with the Head Clergy or their representative. This will help you to determine the welcome and accessibility on the congregation.
The words "Wheelchair Accessible" and "Barrier Free" are subjective and do not necessarily meet the ADA requirements. Please contact the congregation via phone, e-mail or website for specific information.
Please Click Here to Download the File in Searchable .pdf format. You will need Adobe Acrobal Reader, which can be downloaded free from:
http://www.adobe.com/
Helpful Links:
American Association of People with Disabilities
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
The Elizabeth M. Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities
Religion and Spirituality Division of the American Association of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The Congregational Accessibility Network (CAN) is a network of individuals, religious congregations, conferences, denominations, and organizations to promote accessibility and a welcoming spirit among congregations toward persons with any kind of disability.
Share your Successes
For Questions or Scheduling:
Contact Anne House or
Carol Brown
at
The Arc of Midland
ahouse@thearcofmidland.org
(989)631-4439
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