anglican focus

The news site of the Anglican Church Southern Queensland: nourishing and connecting our faith community

Equitable Participation Working Group

Books & Guides Disability advocate Mel Maddox Books & Guides

My Body is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church

“I stopped disclosing my disabilities after one conversation when I said I was autistic and had been having a hard time with sensory issues, and the person responded by saying that this was happening to me because I wasn’t praying enough. I saw this book, and my immediate thought was, ‘Yes! Someone gets it!’,” says Mel Maddox, Parish of Freshwater Synod Representative and Equitable Access Working Group member

"Many autistic people and their loved ones are okay with being asked how you can best support an autistic person or about their sensory sensitivities. The more others are willing to learn, the better it is for people like me" (Melissa Maddox, Parish of Freshwater and Equitable Access Working Group intern, with assistance dog, Dobby)
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How to create a safe and welcoming space for autistic people to worship and serve

“As an autistic person, I experience many sensory sensitivities on a daily basis. Difficulties with sensory processing are a common occurrence for autistic people. Every autistic person I’ve met has sensory processing difficulties. And, as a speech pathologist working with autistic clients, I’ve met a lot of autistic people,” says Parish of Freshwater member, Mel Maddox, while offering tips for creating a safe space for autistic people to worship and serve
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Tips when talking to people with Asperger’s Syndrome

“Like all people with lived experience of ASD1, I have insights that can assist neurotypical people seeking to understand how we see the world and how we can be better engaged. This is important so we can participate more equitably, which is what being part of a Church is all about,” says Gubbi Gubbi descendent and Equitable Participation Working Group member, Tom Hammer

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