The Paralympic Games are having a major impact on people’s attitudes to disability a recent survey suggests, with 78% of people agreeing that the UK media should do more to promote people with disabilities as role models in society.
I’ve had several conversations in the run up to the Paralympics about using the term differently abled instead of disabled, as the Paralympians show us that those labelled as disabled actually posses high levels of ability and have huge potential to fulfil.
This is also what the Bible says of all people. We are all made in the image of God it suggests and therefore have each been given significant gifts and abilities which can be developed and applied. The presence of God’s Spirit is shown in some way in each person for the good of all.
The issue that differently abled people consistently face is that our society is structured for able-bodied people. We have not yet sufficiently adapted to enable society to enable those who are differently abled to always reach their true potential. Many are also rightly worried that the real advances which have been made to enable those who are differently abled to take their rightful place in society will be eroded through current changes to welfare provision.
To enable God’s Spirit to genuinely be seen in all people for the good of our whole society we need to support the culturally, political and technological developments that were celebrated in the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. The Paralympians are role models showing what each of us can achieve but the examples they provide demonstrate the need we all have for appropriate support and encouragement.
At the same time as valuing the Paralympians as role models, we can also recognise the extent to which we need to do more to structure churches, faith communities and UK society, as a whole, to support human flourishing and wellbeing.
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