tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6825243.post4312625417860125809..comments2024-01-06T07:53:11.832-08:00Comments on disabled Christianity: Community Based IsolationJeff McNairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10029386598033932429noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6825243.post-32196215141207001052010-10-05T15:37:59.638-07:002010-10-05T15:37:59.638-07:00So much of what you were saying in the first few p...So much of what you were saying in the first few paragraphs reminded me of a parent with a child, before you even brought about that point. Different parents have different views and this influences how they raise their children, just like what you said about the sugary drinks or religious views. However, parents are in the God-given position of raising their children. It is not the same with an ADULT, whether s/he has disabilities or not. This goes along with treating people according to their chronological age rather than their supposedly “mental” age. When an adult with disabilities in a group home wants to stay up later, s/he isn’t seen as practicing normal independence and making her/his own choices, s/he is viewed as rebellious. Regardless of the fact that s/he is an adult! Yes, there needs to be some protection in terms of health and safety, but not to the point that there are no choices and no autonomy. I think there is a way to provide both. <br /><br /><br />I like what you said about the church. I think the church can even act as a safeguard for those with disabilities against others in the community who might want to hurt them. Families should also act as this. So maybe instead of group homes acting in the positions of “protecting” people with disabilities, their friends, family, and church should act in that position. I would say, as a non-disabled adult, that my friends, family, and church do things to protect me every day. This is a much more natural model than the group home having all of that responsibility.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6825243.post-45568289663672752562010-07-19T17:18:05.915-07:002010-07-19T17:18:05.915-07:00Jeff,
I love the phrase you used: "dignity of...Jeff,<br />I love the phrase you used: "dignity of risk." Who among us would willingly surrender our own risky behaviors on the whim of someone else's notion of what behavior is appropriate for me?<br /> Jesus challenged his questioner by observing that while he was so concerned over the "speck in his neighbor's eye while he ignored the log in his own."<br />I think about this exact question much lately. My friends with disability have some serious issues to deal with. Many of them moral questions a person with more typical adult relationships would not expect a person with intellectual disabilities to confront. <br />They face them anyway, regardless of whether we "feel" they should have to. I believe my friends with disability are better served if I am able to equip my friends with wisdom on how to best respond to an issue, than to avoid it altogether. <br />You don't have to be smart to be wise; great intelligence can, in fact, cloud wisdom. You need only to ask for it; and He will gladly give it.Marknoreply@blogger.com