LAUNCHING A DISABILITY, RELIGION, AND SPIRITUALITY INITIATIVEA Planning Process
OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION Previous activities related to initiative
Planning process
Focus groups
Resource sharing
Next steps
PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES RELATED TO INITIATIVE Partnering with Mayor’s Advisory Committee for
People with Disabilities during Disability Awareness Month to hold interfaith worship services modeling physical and attitudinal accessibility
Partnering with Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities to develop and maintain Tennessee Disability Pathfinder information and referral service. The service includes a searchable database of Interfaith Resources
Partnering with All God’s Children and Center for Child and family Policy, Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies, on a congregational survey
PREVIOUS ACTIVITIES CONT… Listening to family stories
40+ years of experience working with the community to provide disability information, resources, and training-working to transfer research into practice
PLANNING PROCESS Prompted by a father of a young son with
Down syndrome. Ties to fields of religion and psychology
Development of initial draft proposal with broad-based VKC UCEDD input
DRAFT PROPOSAL Phase I: Establishing Community
Leadership(Interdisciplinary and Interfaith Advisory Council)
Phase II: Becoming Informed(Gathering information through surveys-families,
congregations, and disability service providers and advocates)
DRAFT PROPOSAL Phase III: Becoming Connected and
Offering Support(Encouraging congregations to have a contact or a
committee responsible for addressing disability-related issues)
Phase IV: Offering Training(Seminary and Divinity School, Congregation,
Disability Agency and Service Provider)
FOCUS GROUPS Day-long series of meetings held to:
gather information about current congregational and community activities
assess needs, opportunities, and barriers
brainstorm
assess whether VKC UCEDD could contribute in ways compatible with its core functions, emphases, and faculty/staff strengths and skills
FOCUS GROUPS INCLUDED: Clergy, religious and lay leaders
Individuals with disabilities, family members, community disability organizations and advocates
Vanderbilt Divinity School faculty and students
Vanderbilt Kennedy Center researchers and UCEDD staff
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE FOCUS GROUPS A lot is happening
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE FOCUS GROUPS A lot is happening
No one knows about it
WHAT WE LEARNED FROM THE FOCUS GROUPS A lot is happening
No one knows about it
How we might lend support
RESOURCE SHARING Established an electronic distribution list
Shared a summary of the notes from the focus groups
Shared a list of local resources
Continue to send periodic resource updates
$$$Funding$$$
NEXT STEPS
NEXT STEPS
$$$Funding$$$
Gaining support of Vanderbilt Divinity School
NEXT STEPS
$$$Funding$$$
Gaining support of Vanderbilt Divinity School
Taking pre-initiative steps
CONTACT INFORMATION
Courtney Taylor, M.Div.Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental
Disabilities (TN UCEDD)
“When a child is diagnosed with a disability, the first place a young family turns is to their doctor. The second place they turn is often to their faith community. Faith communities need to be able support families across the life span and stages. Congregations need to have knowledge and be able to give good advice to families on both spiritual and practical issues.”