anglican focus

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

Inclusion

Resources & Research Assistance dog and children Resources & Research

Welcoming and including autistic people in our churches

Two Australian Anglicans – a young woman with autism and the parent of a child with autism – share their stories of inclusion and respect in parishes: “The overwhelming impression I got was that the parish community members were there for the common good rather than for their individual needs. As a result of their experience, both my primary-aged children understand church and want to go to church”

"Key to becoming allies for the disabled community is accepting and celebrating disability as a deliberate part of God’s creation and celebrating the diversity of gifts that come with disability" (Mel Maddox, Parish of Freshwater Synod Representative and Equitable Access Working Group member)
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

Features

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