Disability and the Canadian Church

New Leaf Podcast Network

Welcome to Disability and the Canadian Church, a podcast where we talk about the intersections of disability and the Christian faith in Canada and beyond. Join hosts Keith Dow and Jasmine Duckworth as we welcome a couple of guests each week to share their insights and expertise on aspects of disability and faith.

Episodes

  1. Let’s talk about Ableism

    07/14/2023

    Let’s talk about Ableism

    What is ableism? How else can we talk about this concept? Learn from Dan Vander Plaats and Meagan Gillmore as hey wrestle through these questions, share stories of their experiences, and offer insight on how the Church might advocate for change. Listen to Meagan’s podcast, Connecting Disability, wherever you get your podcasts or at  ami.ca/Connecting-Meagan The 5 Stages of Changing Attitudes by Dan Vanderplaats can be found at wheaton.edu/wheaton-center-for-faith-and-disability/disability-foundations/the-5-stages/ or by searching Dan’s name on the internet. Meagan Gillmore is a freelance journalist currently based in Ottawa. She has worked for news organizations in the Yukon and New Brunswick and covered labour issues for rabble.ca. As a freelancer, her work has appeared in publications including: Broadview,CBC, Chatelaine, Toronto Life, Toronto Star, The Walrus, Faith Today and Christianity Today. She’s reported on disability news and policy for Accessible Media Inc.’s programs since 2016 and currently hosts the podcast Connecting Disability on the Accessible Media Inc. podcast network. Meagan was nominated for a National Magazine Award in 2022 and a Digital Publishing Award in 2021 for writing and reporting related to disability. She won the David S. Barr Award in the college division from The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America in 2011. Religious Education and Disability Dan Vander Plaats is the Vice President of Advancement, Marketing, and Communications at Elim Christian Services, a Christian disability ministry based in Crestwood, Illinois. Dan serves on the advisory committee for a bi-denominational Disability Concerns committee. In 2009, he developed “The 5 Stages: Changing Attitudes” to help churches and individuals assess and change their attitudes toward people with disabilities, and he’s the author of Changing Attitudes about Disability and a co-editor of Everybody Belongs, Serving Together: Inclusive Church Ministry with People with Disabilities. He is married to Denise (Hiemstra) and is father to Ben and Emma. View episode transcript: https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/disabilityandthecanadianchurch/ep4

    1h 5m
  2. Friendship, family, kinship & community

    06/16/2023

    Friendship, family, kinship & community

    This week we speak with Cynthia Tam and Stephen Bedard about autism and the church. Cynthia and Stephen help us to learn from multiple perspectives: parent, pastor, professional, self-advocate, ministry leader, and author. We talk about friendship and family, kinship and community, the language we use and the beauty of communication beyond words. You can find Stephen’s writing on the Disability and Faith Forum at disabilityandfath.org and at his website  stephenjbedard.com. You can order Cynthia’s book Kinship in the Household of God through her website cynthiatam.ca or on Amazon. Cynthia Tam is an ordained minister and the National Coordinator for Disability Ministries with the Alliance Canada. Having Completed her Ph.D in Theology she is involved in teaching in the Alliance Stream at Tyndale University.  With a professional background in occupational therapy, Cynthia co-founded Village Eulogia for Families with Special Needs and continued to serve families with children with disabilities through this organization. Stephen Bedard is an author, pastor, autistic advocate, and parent. He has a DMin in the area of disability ministry from Acadia Divinity College. He lives with his wife Amanda in Brookfield NS and is co-pastor at Brookfield Baptist Church. Stephen’s oldest two children have autism and live in a group home setting. Stephen is the author of How to make Your Church Autism Friendly. View episode transcript: https://www.newleafnetwork.ca/disabilityandthecanadianchurch/ep2

    59 min

About

Welcome to Disability and the Canadian Church, a podcast where we talk about the intersections of disability and the Christian faith in Canada and beyond. Join hosts Keith Dow and Jasmine Duckworth as we welcome a couple of guests each week to share their insights and expertise on aspects of disability and faith.