“It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved” – St. John Bosco. How can we ensure that our disabled brothers and sisters know they are loved? Our Ministry Inclusion Checklist is a great start.
Helping the young, disabled, or neurodivergent people in our communities know that they are loved starts before they even walk through our ministry doors. It starts with the language and accessibility of our websites, our registration forms, or communication. In other words, it starts with the work you put in now to make your ministries welcome and inclusive of all minds and abilities.
It’s never too late to put in the time and energy to help disabled and neurodivergent members of your parish community know that they are loved, welcomed, and included in your ministry. We put together a very basic inclusion checklist for ministry coordinators working with kids and teens. Many of these ideas are useful for ministries with adults, as well.
Click “Ministry Inclusion Checklist” to download the free checklist.
Part of a proactive inclusion game plan includes having a conversation with the students and families about their goals, strengths, and challenges. The conversation reveals how the ministry can best support the students and families. We created a Student Inclusion Conversation Form to help you guide and document this crucial conversation for better organization and follow-through.
Click “Student Inclusion Conversation Form” to download the free form.
This is a solid start, but just a start. Look through our website for more ideas. Stay tuned for future inclusion resources and ideas. If you have questions, suggestions, or would like more help, please contact us at lindseywest (at symbol) uniquelycatholic (dot) org!
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