Video Transcript: Unit 3, Video 1
Come to week three, I'm super excited to keep going on this idea of attitudes as we've kind of now had this overview of it all starts with attitude. We've got the three part plan that we're talking about. So we're talking about perspective and participation and personalization. But now I want to just back up a moment and talk about how attitudes come from a cultural context. So we're going to we're going to look at the cultural context that some students who have previously taken this course are coming from, and the attitudes around disability that have formed around this idea of what does our community look like. How do people with disabilities fit into this what are the attitudes around disability in these specific cultures? So I want to share some quotes with you. Here we go from around the world. In Bloemfontein, South Africa, a student shares and I'm just going to read this to you. So here's the quote. In more urban or progressive communities, there is an increasing awareness about disabilities as medical conditions rather than spiritual or moral failures. Advocacy and education have begun shifting perceptions toward acceptance and inclusion. These are good things, right? Strong communal ties often mean. Extended families and neighbors may rally to support the parents, elders and traditional healers might offer guidance or rituals to address the situation, whether through prayer, verbal remedies or cultural ceremonies. Unfortunately, in some settings, there might still be stigma associated with disabilities. Families might face whispers or judgment, with some blaming the parents or questioning the child's ability to contribute to society. Listen to this in some cases, disability might be viewed through the lens of spiritual or ancestral significance. A child's disability might be seen as a sign of ancestral displeasure, a test of the family faith or the result of spiritual interference, for example, witchcraft, these beliefs could lead to a mixed reaction, or mixed reactions, ranging from concern to stigma or even reverence, depending on the interpretation. So that's a really that's a lot going on there, but that's just one example from the area of South Africa, and I think that it's a really helpful way of thinking about just from this one little pocket, the significant amount of complexity that's involved in our cultural understanding of disability. So moving to a different area in Africa. Look at this quote from a student who reports from Tanzania that the term disability has a wide range of interpretations in different environments and cultural areas depending on the individual's point of view. Even the definition can be heavily influenced by how people in a particular society perceive it, but it's all based on medical, legal, sociological, physiological, or even subjective emphasis, statistically, on the other hand, so listen to what this student says. It cannot provide a reliable result based on that understanding, solely based on the person taking the data, knowledge and readiness of the person giving the data. So according to world statistics, disability spectrum disorders affect approximately 10% of the world's 650 million people. Okay, so that's a worldwide statistic that was refreshing for me to learn. But according to something in Tanzania in East Africa, disability accounts for
approximately 1.9% of the population. So not even 2% of the population. And as you can see, the rate is unbelievably low. And this is what I want to highlight, what the student says that's a really, really low rate, because it probably has contributed to the ignorance and the aversion to disclosing information, the shamefulness, the marginalization and other factors see in the past, seeing a disabled person was unusual in Tanzania, when we asked why, the elders explained that in the past, children were not born in hospitals. They were born by local midwives, and if a mother gave birth to a disabled child, that person, that child was killed. Having a disabled child was considered a curse, a source of shame, a manifestation of superstition, and thus a source of social exclusion. Those disabled children who happened to live were hidden. It was a secret from their parents, and they were not allowed to see people to hide their shame. Children like this become the mother's responsibility, and the fathers flee from mothers, leaving this heavy responsibility to them. So you can see how this starts to really build complex social structures around the understanding of disability, and what not only happens for the person with a disability, but their family relationships and their entire culture and community as well. And so these are. Some of the social understandings that have come from students. Now I want to jump to China for a moment. In the Yunnan Province, a student shares that in the context of Chinese culture, perceptions and responses toward people with disabilities are deeply rooted in historical and traditional beliefs. So historically, disability has often been linked with karma or fate leading to stigmatization and societal judgment, and that can result in complex and varied reaction, including empathy and support, as well as an undercurrent of stigma attached to the families. Families may feel that the disability is a reflection of their past deeds, and this student shares that the term disability in Chinese culture can invoke a mix of emotions, including compassion and pity, but also apprehension, and the societal emphasis on collectivism and familial reputation can sometimes overshadow the individual's experiences, and that can make it challenging for families to care for A person with a disability while facing those social repercussions. So some heavy things here, but I think really worth thinking about where we have come from and where some of our communities really still are living as we think about disability around the world, also in Germany, a student writes that emotions connected with the word disability in this culture can range from empathy and concern to admiration for overcoming challenges. There's a growing awareness and appreciation for the abilities and potential of individuals with disabilities driven by local advocacy and education efforts. So these are not just situations in remote places in the world. They are everywhere. We all have learning to do. Those stages of our attitudes continue to grow and change. I want to share one more, and I apologize I'm getting kind of wordy here, but I think it's important for you to hear from real students who've been through this course, who are sharing from their own locations. So this
student from the United States in Tennessee shares that when someone says they are disabled if it is not an obvious disability like missing legs, so she's saying, if it's not a physical disability that's quickly seen, people often roll their eyes and they accuse that person of just being lazy or sinful. I The student was told by a college professor who refused to give special treatment when I showed him my letter from a disabled student services so the student had paperwork showing that she needed some accommodations, and the professor refused, and she just says, oddly, with cancer, it's completely different. It's the only disability here that people have any sympathy for, even if it's a mild cancer, compared to even severely disabling conditions. So when a person in a wheelchair shows up, lots of churches make that person a project and try to heal them. She says, I saw a paralyzed man urged to walk. He fell in his face. Everyone said he didn't walk because he didn't have enough faith. So this is a whole other kind of aspect of our cultural understanding within our churches, of how we interact with disability, this healing narrative and so this, the student says, When a baby with a disability is born, most people lament that the mother should have aborted. I have been I have seen disabled babies cherished by groups, but if it isn't a religious group, people tend to be very cynical and say the baby was better off dead. Now these are some saddening reports to hear, but I just want us to know that it matters what the Church says and what the church does regarding disability, and like I mentioned a while back, when we respond to an individual's needs that speaks volumes to many other people, and could even open the door and create an opportunity for others impacted by disabilities to join in your church because they saw how you reacted to an individual. You welcomed, you brought them in, you met the needs, and you were excited about the gifts that they brought. So that's why I wanted to share some of these very real stories from around the world with you. And now I want you to hear a little bit again from Barb about some other things related to this cultural context and and what we're talking about when we're talking about how that impacts our attitude.
Barb - “This is a complex topic and different around the world, and we know that even Christianity and culture has different forms as we look at different communities. So why would this topic be any different? What does this term disability mean within different communities, different countries, different different pockets of countries and is there a different urban or rural response? I mean, there are so many different features that are part of this. Let me just mention a little bit about some of the learning that we've done, and how that can maybe at least get you. Sensitized to this topic and how we might be able to delight a little bit more in that idea of universal design through this discussion as well. If we were to stand all together, we are a multicultural group that is thinking about this course right now, and you are in a setting that may have some very
specific ideas about what that means. Can we use some of the learning of that puzzle piece perspective? Can we use some of the learning from other hallmarks within our culture, like that of hospitality within that African American church? Can we use that to be able to think differently about this area and to offer that shredded cheese option throughout the programs within our church.”
I love that you get to hear Barb's voice. I miss her dearly. But again, thinking about the learning that we've been doing, and I just want to continue to highlight some of the things from various organizations that are changing the story around the world. And so some of those places that I referred to that students reported from, there are ministries active in those areas that are changing what this looks like. And so I want to share with you a little bit about an organization called accessible hope. And they talk about, what does hope look like? So they are trying to make the gospel more accessible through what they're doing. And I'm going to allow you to watch the video of what they have going on, but it's just incredible the amount of efforts going into creating better communities where hope is accessible, where the gospel is accessible, and people are really trying to change the narrative and the perception of disabilities right where they are. And so accessible. Hope is a great organization that's doing that in places in Africa, another organization called guide light is based in the United States, but they are at work in the Ukraine and in Eastern Europe, and they are partnering with other local ministries there. This one's called Imago Dei, and they're doing phenomenal work that is engaging people in physical activity for their bodies, and teaching them the gospel as well, and again, just changing the narrative of what it means to be a person with a disability in this environment in the Ukraine. Another person I really want you to meet is a man named Michael Panther, and he is from Kenya. Well, actually, he moved to Kenya and now does his work there. But I'm sharing this from him, because his work is making a difference all throughout Africa. His organization is now called Hope Mobility International, and he's just an incredible individual with a powerful story. So I want you to hear his story as well. And a friend recently told me, look for what God is blessing and join in that. Because it is clear to me that God is blessing efforts to worship and learn and fellowship and serve with people with disabilities, and these ministries are examples of that. And so I'm keeping my video short because I want you to watch those videos of those ministries and pay attention to the work that they're doing and where they are and those narratives that I shared from the students, and start to piece together how God is changing the story all around the world, and he's blessing it. I don't know about you, but I want to hop on and ride the bus ride the wave with what God is blessing. So think about this, and spend the time mulling through your own cultural context and the stories that God is writing about disability, right in your own community as you also maybe catch the vision and get inspired by and get excited about joining in what God is doing all around
the world. And maybe you want to learn some more about and get connected with these other organizations who are doing some things. So praying for you as you seek to listen to what God is doing in the stories that he is writing.