Inclusion within Student and Kids Ministries

1. Inclusion within Student and Kids Ministries

2. About Me • Graduate student in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program at The University of Toledo • Currently serve in Student Ministries at the South Toledo campus

3. The Vision For CedarCreek Church to reach spiritually restless and unchurched individuals with disabilities

4. The Why • Jesus performed SO MANY miracles on individuals with disabilities • 90% of individuals with special needs do not attend church • More than 90% of church-going special needs parents cited the most helpful support for their family was for there to be a welcoming attitude toward people with disabilities • 80% of those same parents said that a welcome attitude was not present at their church

5. More of The Why • 46.6% of special needs parents said they refrained from participating in a religious activity because their child was not included or welcomed • Among church-attending special needs families, 86.5% said that their church needs more education and training about disability • General awareness of the characteristics of disability • How to be inclusive (in speech and conduct) • How to work with a variety of individuals and include them across a range of ability levels

6. How Might this Look at CedarCreek?

7. How Might this Look at CedarCreek?

8. The (Potential) How • Leadership training • Fully utilize the resources/structures that are already in place • Communicate with parents whenever possible

9. So What Can We Do?

10. Defining Disability • “A physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or actions or participate in typical daily activities and interactions…”

11. Be Inclusive in Speech: Person First Language GOAL: To emphasize the PERSON rather than their disability

12. Be Inclusive in Speech • Avoid using the word “retarded” in ANY situation • Avoid negative words such as “suffers with” or “afflicted with” • Talk to kids and students with disabilities like you would any other student/kid of that age

13. Be Inclusive in Conduct • Try your best to have leaders be intentional about finding a way to include the child/student • Help connect them with other students • Lead by example

14. Tips for Success

15. Tips for Success • Listen to parents • Identify the student’s interests and find activities they want to do • Identify the student’s abilities and find activities that they can do • Engage them in activities with their peers • Keep a consistent schedule, when possible

16. Tips for Success • Use EXTRA patience • Give short, clear instructions • Limit choices to one to three options • Be encouraging and positively reinforce acceptable behavior • Be firm with limits which are set to provide safety to the individual and others • Be proactive

17. Listening to Parents • Parents know a lot about their children… • Overall habits, interests, abilities, and needs • How to manage specific behaviors • How to prevent specific behaviors • Ask them questions! • How is your child doing today? • Are there any recent changes? • How can we better handle this situation next time? • How can we best serve your child?

18. Identify Child’s Interests • Use information gathered from parents • Offer choices • Children and students with intellectual disabilities may become overwhelmed by open ended questions like, “What do you want to do?” • Give them 2-3 options to help them choose • Ask them what they might want to do in future services! • Examples: • Seated four square • Board games

19. Identify Child’s Strengths • Best way to do this is to…OBSERVE! • Think “How can I make this easier for them so they can succeed?” • Highly activity-dependent • Group time • Children with poor attention spans or those who process at a slower pace may have difficulty • Singing and dancing (or other noisy activities) • Children with sensory processing difficulties may find it too loud or visually overwhelming • Group games • Games like 9-square, 4-square, and tag may be too challenging, but you can find ways to adapt to make the student feel included

20. Connect them with their Peers • Students may not naturally include students with disabilities • Have leaders “bridge the gap” in these situations • Find group games that the student with a disability can engage in • Always ask them, “Do you want to play with us?” • Find every way possible to be inclusive

21. Consistency • Many children with autism thrive off of “schedules” and “routines” • Changes in these schedules can lead to meltdowns and other poor behaviors • Use of visual schedules may help if poor behavior is often seen

25. Use Extra Patience • “Simple tasks” may take longer than expected • Putting on a coat, getting into small groups, sitting down and getting ready for the message, check-in, etc. • It may take multiple re-directions to get a child to listen • Many children with intellectual or developmental disabilities do not understand “social norms” • They also may not always remember what you’ve told them previous weeks • Remain calm, even when frustrated • Raising your voice will only upset/escalate the situation • Remind yourself of the great saying….”Love is patient”

26. Give Short, Clear Instructions • Many individuals with disabilities have difficulty following “multi-step directions” • Example: “Okay everyone, put everything away, come sit on the floor, and listen to the message.” • Many individuals with disabilities have difficulty with vague directions • Example: “Okay, time for the message!” • Many individuals with disabilities will take your directions literally • Example: “Don’t throw this ball at people’s heads.” • Give one direction at a time • Say exactly what you want them to do • Give visual cues when you can • Point to the spot where you want them to sit • Showing them how to do something

27. Limit Choices • Limit choices to 1-3 options • Examples of where choices may occur and be difficult for them… • What game do you want to play? • Where do you want to sit? • What do you want to do next? • Instead… • Do you want to play four square or basketball? • Do you want to sit against the wall or at the table? • Do you want to eat a snack next or do you want to get a drink?

28. Be Encouraging • Positively reinforce “good behavior” • Give a high five • “Thank you for listening!” • “I really like how you sat nicely during group time.” • Be aware of “difficult” tasks and support them along the way

29. Keep Safety a Priority • Individuals with certain disabilities have “poor safety awareness” • “Joking” behavior for some children can quickly be escalated by those with disabilities • When “unsafe” behavior occurs, stop it as quickly as possible. • Be firm and explain that the behavior is unsafe • Set an example and be consistent with ALL students

30. Be Proactive • Set the student/child up for success • Make changes in the activities and environment as necessary • Be aware of “overstimulated” behavior • Reduce lighting and sound if possible • Communicate with families if changes are expected • Leader isn’t coming • Transitions into other ministries • Discuss with leaders within your ministry • Make sure all leaders are following the same action plan

31. Recruiting Leaders

32. How Can We Recruit Leaders? • Approach the situation with prayer • Be observant of leaders who may have the following traits: • Patience • Adaptability • Empathy • Strong communication • Consistency • Reach out to community programs/colleges • Be open and honest, but also positive, when talking about the opportunity to serve

33. Questions? Comments? Concerns?