Disability Playlist

by 2022 DPF Peace Intern Isaac Ackerman

A Playlist is a way of engaging with an idea or topic. They can be used as small group discussion starters, for personal devotions, or as a place to jump into a subject. 

On the subject of Disability, here is:

…Something to break the ice: 

Take a moment to think about what makes you, YOU! What are the things that are true about you or things that you do that feel central to your identity? 

Consider writing a poem using this template! (https://www.wsuu.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/I_Am_From_Poem(2).pdf)

  • When you read your poem out loud, what parts make you feel good?

  • What parts don’t feel important? What’s missing from it?


…Something to Watch

I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much
Stella Young delivers a 9 minute TED talk about disability. She introduces the idea of the social model of disability. This idea says that society disables people more than their bodies. She encourages her audience to broaden the ideas of what is “normal” and see the ways that exceptionalizing disability is harmful, even if it is done with good intentions. 

*Note: Stella Young uses the term inspiration porn in this video. This is not a sexual term but might be confusing for some audiences.


…Something to Read

Ask a Self-Advocate: The Pros and Cons of Person-First and Identity-First Language
There are many ways to engage our conscious and unconscious perceptions of disability! First let’s read about descriptive language! 

What does “Disability Justice” mean?
While language is important, we still need to do more to make our world just! Read about disability justice and click around on some of these links!

Even more resources for disability justice!

Here’s information from the amazing Ministries Across Generations!

https://www.docfamiliesandchildren.org/physical-disabilities-mental-disabiliti 

…Something to Wonder

We design architecture, plan meetings, and imagine our perfect society in specific ways that often exclude and harm some people. 

Faith spaces often place a large emphasis on “healing” and changing a person to conform to their idea of “normal”. For example, we imagine disabled people differently in heaven. This might be comforting for some disabled people but might trouble others.

How might we imagine heaven or some amazing place without creating a harmful idea of what is “normal”?

…Something to Talk/Think/Journal About

Return to our breaking the ice activity. What might you change about your identity? (You do not have to change anything, but just be aware of how you may see yourself differently)

Consider what parts of your identity that others might seek to change or belittle because they might not fit their idea of “normal”. What parts of your identity already “fit” with societal ideals?

…Something to Do

RadioLab: The Right Stuff
Listen or watch this episode of RadioLab that invites us to think about the way we imagine and build new worlds with what you’ve encountered in this playlist! 

  • Learn some sign language! 

  • If you aren’t in communities with disabled people, ask yourself why not! Go join groups and organizations that have expansive ideas of how different people flourish!
    (Resist ideas of helping or volunteering that might make disability an exception rather than a norm! For example, https://www.altogetherautism.org.nz/autism-no-puzzle-nothing-wrong-with-us/) 

  • Populate your social media feeds by following and subscribing to disabled people! There are many vloggers on youtube! 

Something to Pray

God of limitless imagination, 

Expand our minds to see the many ways we can make worlds of abundance!

Forgive us for making an idol of sameness and not recognizing your divinity in diversity.

Help us to grow in love and compassion each day that we might seek your Kindom

And build communities of faith and justice here on Earth just as it is in Heaven! 

Amen.