Able(ism)

It is mostly understood that not everyone is able to stand for the Gospel reading, or walk to the Altar for Communion. Churches regularly make necessary accommodations for the inclusion of those individuals. What is less understood, however, and less adjusted for in our practices, is the more subtle ways in which assumptions about abilities can exclude and injure community members. One who has been legally blind for most of their life might feel excluded or hurt by Jesus’ frequent claims that people who didn’t understand His words are “blind.” People who are deaf or hard of hearing miss out on the full liturgical experience by not hearing the splashing water during the Affirmation of Baptism, or by not being able to hear the chanted Psalm. Work needs to be done not only to physically accommodate the varying abilities one might have in their community, but also to liturgically accommodate the wide spectrum of senses and abilities in the worship setting.