Tending to spiritual needs can be the most uncomfortable and neglected part of caring for a person with a disability; it can be hard to understand and easy to sideline in the face of urgent physical, social, and intellectual needs. Many people with disabilities include spiritual life as a core concern, yet 85% are not connected with faith communities, even though many express a desire to be a part of them.
Keynote speaker Mr. William Gaventa will educate participants about spirituality and disability, focusing on approaches to assessing and responding to spiritual needs of persons with disabilities across a variety of settings—counseling, ministry, community, family, and work. Participants will also have the opportunity to learn in smaller group workshops. Workshops address dealing with inclusion in faith communities, understanding cultures of disability, focusing on spirituality and mental illness, and delving into social justice as a lens for acting on this issue. Mr. Gaventa will participate through the day and offer concluding comments and reflections during a closing session.
Unlike many venues which offer education about disability, this event creates an enriched space in which practitioners from diverse disciplines related to spirituality and disability may learn from and with each other.
This intensive day is for social workers, therapists, pastors and all who work with people who have disabilities and who want to increase their ability to address spirituality as a part of the whole person.