What is the first thing that comes to mind if I ask you what disability inclusion means to you?
Whenever I ask people who don’t have a personal experience with disability, their answers are usually linked to physical access, like ramps, bathrooms, guide dogs, hearing loops, Auslan, or quiet times in supermarkets and shopping centres. While these are all valid, disability inclusion goes beyond the physical and tangible. For example, one area I hadn’t considered until later in my career is spiritual inclusion.
It wasn’t until I had the privilege of working with Josephine Snowdon that I had a chance to consider spirituality in the context of disability inclusion. At the time, Josephine was a chaplain with a background in occupational therapy, disability services and theology, and a strong advocate for helping people with intellectual disability explore and experience spirituality in a genuine and informed way. Now retired, she continues this commitment in her role as a Deacon in the Anglican Church.
Josephine often spoke about the importance of informed choice in exploring spirituality. This got me thinking about the way faith traditions are often inherited rather than actively chosen. People with disability might attend services with their family or carers, but how many opportunities exist for them to explore their beliefs independently, ask questions or engage with spirituality on their own?
This was part of the important work Josephine did within disability services, creating spaces where people with disability can actively engage with spirituality on their own terms, and explore faith in their own way, rather than just inheriting someone else’s beliefs and practices.
I have been thinking about Josephine’s work recently as March and April feature significant events in a range of religious calendars. From the Hindu festival of colours (Holi), to Ramadan, Lailatul Qadr and Eid al-Fitr in the Muslim faith, to Purim and Passover in the Jewish traditions, to the Christian season of Easter, our community celebrates many visible and meaningful spiritual practices around this time of year.
The concept of spiritual inclusion is also something that Professor John Swinton explores in his work. Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen, Professor Swinton has a background as a mental health nurse and chaplain. His work in disability theology challenges the ableist assumption that disability needs to be fixed, while emphasising the difference between inclusion and belonging. I was drawn to his comments in an interview with Broadview Magazine:
“Belonging should be the goal of all communities. Particularly religious communities. The law can build up structures to protect people with disabilities and enhance life, but it can’t make people care for one another.”
- Professor John Swinton, University of Aberdeen
Professor Swinton’s work suggests that while inclusion may get someone in the door, belonging ensures they are valued as a full and equal member of the community. This is an important shift from simply providing access to fostering real connection. How often do faith communities assume that people with disability don’t have an interest or capacity for spirituality? How often do they miss opportunities to invite and support genuine participation?
For those who belong to a faith tradition, we might ask whether people with disability are truly part of the community, not just present. Do they have genuine opportunities to contribute? Are their spiritual and social needs truly considered?
I don’t have all the answers, but I do know that spiritual inclusion, like all aspects of disability inclusion, can’t be a passive process. It requires intentional effort, a willingness to listen and a shift in how we think about community. Regardless of your own spiritual tradition, even if that is atheist or agnostic, it is helpful to reflect on what that might mean if you were to consider it through the lens of disability inclusion. What would need to change to ensure that all people, regardless of disability, can experience a true sense of belonging? Because it is only then that we will create communities where everyone is valued and celebrated for who they are.