Investigating Practices and Programs that Promote Belonging for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in Churches

“You might see headlines like, “people with disabilities excluded from religious congregations,” but that’s not the full story: congregations all across North America are supporting and welcoming people with disabilities, and we’re going to find out how. ”

Team Members/Contributors

Jared Stewart-Ginsburg Francis Marion University Contact Me

About this project grant for researchers

Churches can be places of support, respite, haven, and joy for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD; e.g., Down syndrome, intellectual disability, autism) and their family members. Likewise, individuals with IDD have a multitude of gifts to offer congregations. Despite this, individuals with IDD are often excluded from the sacramental and social expressions of churches. This project will investigate characteristics of existing programs and practices churches demonstrate and use in helping individuals with disabilities fully participate in their congregation. In Year 1, we will create and share an online survey and ask church leaders across denominations to share and describe practices and programs they believe support belonging for individuals with IDD. We will aim to recruit a nationally representative sample. In Year 2, we will select 10 churches and further explore the programs and practices through interviews with church leaders. We will visit four of these congregations to interview participants (e.g., individuals with IDD, family members, church leaders), gather field notes, conduct observations, and assess the programs or practices. Among other methods of dissemination, our project will result in an online resource repository so churches can adopt or adapt programs and practices to support individuals with IDD.