All Disabled by Life in Some Way

We Have All Been Disabled by Life in Some Way

This is our (approximately) 15th annual Disabilities Sunday service at the Meeting House. Long time member and national disability rights activist Christine Reese inaugurated this tradition in the early 1990’s; I am very pleased and proud to participate again this year.

When I first joined the Meeting House in 1995, I was looking for a “spiritual and emotional home”, a place which would nurture my soul and my psyche while I listened to heavenly music. Needless to say, this Society has been that and more for me.

What I was not looking for initially, and this may surprise you, was a “social justice home”, a place to do the work of advocacy and systems change. I thought that was secular work, work to be done outside of a religious community without specific spiritual intention. Boy, was I wrong!

Many of you sitting here in the pews today taught me that being a Unitarian Universalist means doing both internal, spiritual work and external social justice work. That being a Unitarian Universalist means caring about our own inherent worth and dignity and everybody else’s, too. That being a UU means that we treat everyone with justice and compassion, even ourselves. And that being a UU means that we work to accept each other – and ourselves - in all of our strange and incomprehensible ways in this inter-dependent web of life. Who knew?

Over the 12 years that I have been a member here, I have learned about our long tradition of translating our values of equity, justice, compassion, and acceptance. I have applauded as we became a Welcoming Congregation and as we continue to actively advocate for marriage equality; I have seen how we consider the environment as we buy boilers and heat the building; I have seen nearly 150 people tutor children in Hartford schools; I have bought soup and paid our youth to sleep outdoors; I have learned how the Women’s Alliance helped change the history of reproductive rights; I have been on the Caring Network and watched and listened as shawls were knit, rides were arranged, emotional support was provided, funeral receptions were held, and elderly rights were protected; I have been in Small Group Ministry and watched strangers share, support, and accept each other; I have been a guest speaker in our RE classes answering questions about my wheelchair and how I go to the bathroom; and I have seen our leadership commit to installing a lift to the chancel so that folks like me can speak from the pulpit. Your support for the elevator, accessible parking, an automatic door, an augmented sound system, large print hymnals, and pew cuts and alternative seating has made the Meeting House more accessible and welcoming for everyone.

And I have seen that we all contribute to and we all benefit from these activities even if we are heterosexual, are conspicuous consumers, can read, have nice homes and plenty of food, can buy contraceptives, have not experienced grief, loss, or death, have rides and friends, are ambulatory and can hear and see and sit comfortably at all times.

We all benefit from all these activities of the heart and mind and body because none of us is perfect in body, mind, or heart. We have all experienced loss, grief, and a sense of difference. We have all been disabled by life in some way. Disability is a natural part of life. Today, Rev. Jamestone will be speaking about one more way we can expand our ministry of welcome, acceptance, and social justice by creating a mental health ministry to recognize and support those with mental health issues and their families. This is just one more way in which we can care for each other and by so doing, care for ourselves. It really is all about us!

One local organization which provides a wonderful service to individuals and families is the New England Assistive Technology (NEAT) Marketplace. NEAT is a program of Oak Hill School for the Blind, which provides educational and residential programs for adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. The NEAT Marketplace refurbishes adaptive equipment like wheelchairs, communication boards, ramps, and assistive technology devices which promote independence for folks of all ages and abilities. Today NEAT will be the beneficiary of our offering. They are a terrific organization and one I have used personally. I hope you can give generously because, like us, they understand and value the inherent worth and dignity of all people.

Blessed be. - Carolyn Cartland

Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 4/05/07)