Disabilities

Position

The church pledges to be a caring community, paying special attention to the needs and gifts of people with physical, sensory, mental, and emotional impairments. The CRC publicizes these needs and capabilities through ministries such as the Office of Disability Concerns and their educational materials (see www.crcna.org/pages/disability.cfm). The CRC urges all churches and members to work toward eliminating physical and architectural barriers, attitudinal barriers that make persons with disabilities feel unwelcome, and communication barriers in sight, sound, and understanding. Using the theme “Everybody Belongs. Everybody Serves,” all churches, classes, and educational institutions are encouraged to sponsor events celebrating a Disability Week each year in October.

History

In 1977 Pine Rest Christian Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, decided to phase out its inpatient care for children with mental impairments, following a national trend from institutional to residential care. This action created a hardship for a number of Christian Reformed families, and in 1978 Classis Rocky Mountain overtured synod to appoint a committee to study the issue. The Committee for the Christian Care of Retarded Persons began as a study committee and then served until 1986 as a service committee of synod. Since 1987 it has been known as Disability Concerns. In 1985 synod adopted A Resolution on Disabilities, which continues to represent the CRC's position. Synod 1993 recommended full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act in all portions of the CRC in the United States and Canada. Synod 2000 encouraged all classes “to establish a network of disability-concerns consultants and congregational contacts to work in cooperation with the office of Disability Concerns." Recent summaries of questionnaire results and progress reports are included in the Agenda for Synod 2006 (pp. 77-80) and the Agenda for Synod 2008 (pp. 54-57). Synod 2009 adopted a request by Disability Concerns to encourage churchwide celebrations of an annual Disability Week each October. Synod 2011 declared that future meetings of synod will provide reasonable accommodations as recommended by the Office of Disability Concerns for “all participants, including but not limited to people with known hearing impairments, sight impairments, and mobility impairments” (Acts of Synod 2011, p. 817).

References

• Acts of Synod 1978, pp. 61-62, 129, 648-50
• Acts of Synod 1979, pp. 78-80, 662-78
• Acts of Synod 1980, pp. 37, 214-15
• Acts of Synod 1981, pp. 51-52, 114, 532-46
• Acts of Synod 1982, pp. 57, 593-95
• Acts of Synod 1985, pp. 348-52, 490, 702-3, 825
• Agenda for Synod 1986, pp. 276-81
• Acts of Synod 1986, pp. 627-28, 713
• Agenda for Synod 1987, pp. 140-46
• Acts of Synod 1987, pp. 553-56
• Agenda for Synod 1992, pp. 133-42
• Acts of Synod 1992, pp. 621-23
• Agenda for Synod 1993, pp. 168-74
• Acts of Synod 1993, pp. 381-405, 539, 542-43
• Agenda for Synod 1995, pp. 187-90
• Acts of Synod 1995, pp. 677-78
• Agenda for Synod 2000, pp. 66-68, 70-72
• Acts of Synod 2000, p. 620
• Agenda for Synod 2006, pp. 77-80
• Agenda for Synod 2008, pp. 54-57
• Agenda for Synod 2009, pp. 44, 91-92
• Acts of Synod 2009, pp. 587-88
• Acts of Synod 2011, pp. 703, 714-15, 817-18