Although considerable attention has focused on the inclusion of young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in school, work, and residential settings, less is known about their involvement in religious activities. This article focuses on supporting the presence and participation of people with disabilities and their families in their faith communities (i.e., congregational inclusion). The authors examined the needs and experiences of these families—as well as the responses of congregations—in a study exploring 433 parents’ views regarding the helpfulness and availability of 14 congregation-provided supports, selected indicators of congregational inclusion, and their associations with various child, family, and congregation factors. Findings from this study inform efforts by congregations and professionals to effectively support the involvement of families and highlight potential areas for future research and practice at the intersection of faith and disability.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AmadoA. N.DegrandeM.BoiceC.HutchesonS. (2012). Accessible congregations campaign: Follow-up survey of impact on individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (ID/DD). Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health, 16, 394–419. doi:10.1080/15228967.2012.731909
2.
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities/The Arc. (2010). Spirituality: A joint position statement of AAIDD and the Arc. Washington, DC: Authors.
3.
AnnandaleN. H.CarterE. W. (2014). Disability and theological education: A North American study. Theological Education, 48, 83–102.
4.
AultM. (2010). Inclusion of religion and spirituality in the special education literature. The Journal of Special Education, 44, 176–189. doi:10.1177/0022466909336752
5.
AultM. J.CollinsB. C.CarterE. W. (2013). Congregational participation and supports for children and adults with disabilities: Parent perceptions. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51, 48–61. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-51.01.048
6.
BoehmT. L.CarterE. W.TaylorJ. L. (2015). Factors associated with family quality of life during the transition to adulthood for youth and young adults with developmental disabilities. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 120, 395–411. doi:10.1352/1944-7558-120.5.395
7.
BrownI.AnandS.FungW. A.IsaacsB.BaumN. (2003). Family quality of life: Canadian results from an international study. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 15, 207–230. doi:10.1023/A:1024931022773
8.
CarterE. W. (2007). Including people with disabilities in faith communities: A guide for service providers, families, and congregations. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
9.
CarterE. W. (2011). After the benediction: Walking alongside people with significant disabilities and their families in faith and life. Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health, 15, 395–413. doi:10.1080/15228967.2011.619340
10.
CarterE. W. (2013). Supporting inclusion and flourishing in the religious and spiritual lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Inclusion, 1, 64–75. doi:10.1352/2326-6988-1.1.064
11.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
12.
ConnorB. (2012). Amplifying our witness: Giving voice to adolescents with developmental disabilities. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
13.
CoulthardP.FitzgeraldM. (1999). In God we trust? Organised religion and personal beliefs as resources and coping strategies, and their implications for health in parents with a child on the autistic spectrum. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 2, 19–33.
14.
GaventaW. (2005). A place for all of me and all of us: Rekindling the spirit in services and supports. Mental Retardation, 43, 48–54. doi:10.1352/0047-6765(2005)43<48:APFAOM>2.0.CO;2
15.
GriffinM. M.KaneL. W.TaylorC.FrancisS. H.HodappR. M. (2012). Characteristics of inclusive faith communities: A preliminary survey of inclusive practices in the United States. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 25, 383–391. doi:10.1111/j.1468-3148.2011.00675.x
16.
HerzogA. A. (Ed.). (2006). Disability advocacy among religious organizations: Histories and reflections. Binghamton, NY: Haworth.
17.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, Pub. L. No. 108-446, 118 Stat. 2647 (2004).
18.
JacoberA. E. (2010). Youth ministry, religious education, and adolescents with disabilities: Insights from parents and guardians. Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health, 14, 167–181. doi:10.1080/15228961003622310
19.
LarocqueM.EigenbroodR. (2005). Community access: A survey of congregational accessibility for people with disabilities. Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health, 9, 55–66. doi:10.1300/J095v9n01_04
20.
LeeS. H.WehmeyerM. L.PalmerS. B.SoukupJ. H.LittleT. D. (2008). Self-determination and access to the general education curriculum. The Journal of Special Education, 42, 91–107. doi:10.1177/0022466907312354
21.
LifshitzH.WeissI.FridelS.GlaubmanR. (2009). Why individuals with intellectual disability turn to religion: Behavioral and psychological motives of adolescents and adults. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 44, 196–206.
22.
LiuE. X.CarterE. W.BoehmT. L.AnnandaleN.TaylorC. (2014). In their own words: The place of faith in the lives of young people with intellectual disability and autism. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 52, 388–404. doi:10.1352/1934-9556-52.5.388
23.
LustigD. C. (2002). Family coping in families with a child with a disability. Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, 37, 4–22.
24.
MinnesP. M. (1998). Family resources and stress associated with having a mentally retarded child. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 93, 184–192.
25.
National Organization on Disability. (2010). Kessler Foundation/NOD survey of Americans with disabilities. Washington, DC: Author.
26.
O’HanlonE. E. (2013). Religion and disability: The experiences of families of children with special needs. Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health, 17, 42–61. doi:10.1080/15228967.2012.731874
27.
PostonD. J.TurnbullA. P. (2004). Role of spirituality and religion in family quality of life for families of children with disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 39, 95–108.
28.
Rogers-DulanJ. (1998). Religious connectedness among urban African American families who have a child with disabilities. Mental Retardation, 36, 91–103.
29.
SciorK. (2011). Public awareness, attitudes and beliefs regarding intellectual disability: A systematic review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 32, 2164–2182. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.07.005
30.
SipersteinG. N.NorinsJ.MohlerA. (2007). Social acceptance and attitude change: Fifty years of research. In JacobsonJ. W.MulickJ. A.RojahnJ. (Eds.), Handbook of intellectual and developmental disabilities (pp. 133–154). New York, NY: Springer.
31.
SmithP.O’BrienJ. (2007). Have we made any progress? Including students with intellectual disabilities in regular education classrooms. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 45, 297–309. doi:10.1352/0047-6765(2007)45[297:HWMAPI]2.0.CO;2
32.
TarakeshwarN.PargamentK. I. (2001). Religious coping in families of children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 16, 247–260. doi:10.1177/108835760101600408
33.
TASH. (2010). TASH resolution on spirituality. Baltimore, MD: Author.
34.
TaylorC. E.CarterE. W.AnnandaleN. H.BoehmT. L.LogemanA. K. (2014). Welcoming people with developmental disabilities and their families: A practical guide for congregations. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. Retrieved from http://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/vkc/resources/religionspirituality/
35.
TurnbullH. R.TurnbullA. P.WehmeyerM. L.ParkJ. (2003). A quality of life framework for special education outcomes. Remedial and Special Education, 24, 67–74. doi:10.1177/07419325030240020201
