A closer look at Disability...

W H A T . I S . D I S A B I L I T Y ?

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D E F I N I T I O N

“Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.”

➢ An impairment is a problem in body function or structure

➢ An activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action

➢ A participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.

Not all disabilities are visible.

S T A T I S T I C S

Over 1 billion people globally experience a disability (1 in 7)
70 million people need a wheelchair - only 5-15% have access to one
Disability disproportionally affects vulnerable populations in lower income countries
200 million people need glasses or low-vision devices, but do not have access to them
80% of people with disabilities live in developing countries
50%-75% lower employment rates for the disabled

According to the Lausanne Committee 90% – 95% of
the world’s disabled people die without ever hearing
the Gospel.

D I S A B I L I T Y & C H U R C H

“The history of the church’s interaction with the disabled is at best an ambiguous one. Rather than being a structure for empowerment, the church has more often supported the societal structures and attitudes that have treated people with disabilities as objects of pity and paternalism.

For many disabled persons the church has been a “city on a hill” – physically inaccessible and socially inhospitable” Eiesland (1994)