Perspectives on Disability:
A Unitarian Universalist Curriculum for Adults

By Laurie Thomas

Review by Pat Hoertdoerfer
Children, Family and Intergenerational Programs Director
Lifespan Faith Development, UUA
Boston, MA

There is a clearly observable lag in the education of able-bodied Unitarian Universalists when it comes to people with disabilities, their culture, and their issues. This is perplexing because historically Unitarian Universalists have been on the frontline struggles of other oppressed minorities (the civil rights movement, women’s movement and gay/lesbian rights). Unitarian Universalists, as a whole, have not included people with disabilities in their thinking about oppressed minorities and their fight for freedom and equal access. On the one hand, this should come as no surprise, because Unitarian Universalists are part of a culture that doesn’t recognize people with disabilities as a minority. On the other hand, this lack of awareness does catch one off guard because Unitarian Universalists have prided themselves on being well educated, politically well informed, and on the side of oppressed people everywhere.

Thomas acknowledges that combating this lack of awareness takes time, patience, and education. She says that the role of this curriculum is to be a cog in the wheel of change. The activities in her curriculum are to be a beginning of a journey that will result in the participants’ examination of attitudes and behavior when they encounter people with disabilities. The reading materials for the course include chapters from books, pamphlets, surveys, and videos. She has selected them to provide a personal and cultural snapshot of what it means to be a person with a disability at the present time.

The author is a person with a disability and she recommends the leader of this program should be a person with a disability, an ally of disability rights, or someone who works closely with the disability community. The leader needs to be prepared to answer questions, relate experiences that illustrate key points, and know where to find answers.

This curriculum is organized into eight two-hour sessions. Participants are asked to bring in results from their homework each week. The homework challenges participants to find references to and information about persons with disabilities in a variety of places and formats, for example from newspapers or magazines, radio/TV programs, or Internet that portray people with disabilities in a helpless and/or empowering way.

The eight sessions are: Introduction to Disability, Recognizing Ableism and Disability as Social Constructions, Disability Culture, Disability History, Sexuality and Disability, Theology and Disability, Advocacy and Political Issues Affecting People with Disabilities, and Welcoming People with Disabilities into our Congregations and into the Larger UU Movement. There is an excellent bibliography and a helpful section called Locating Resources.

I encourage you to explore this curriculum Perspectives on Disability and become a “cog in the wheel of change” that is needed in our congregations. Order your copy of this engaging program from Laurie Thomas at Laurie@match.org or 517-699-8505. Cost is $20 plus shipping.