Towards a Life of Dignity for All

One of the most effective ways to support people with disabilities is to ensure that programs sustainably include them.

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines held a two-day National Consultation on Disability Inclusion, with the theme “Towards a Life of Dignity for All” in Quezon City last May 7 to 8, 2024.

Attended by 15 people with disabilities and representatives from churches and faith-based organizations, the participants were able to gauge the churches’ awareness on the inclusion of persons with disabilities. This constitutes the first step towards developing a more concrete and thoughtful perspective on how the Council and its members can actively contribute to the community of persons with disabilities.

During the consultation, people with disabilities shared their struggle for recognition and inclusion, as well as overcoming barriers that they encountered in every aspect of their lives.

Some narrated how their church helps them have access and opportunity to grow. Others find themselves treated differently, isolated from their peers, and called by harmful and insensitive words. Some even associate their disability with sin. This kind of treatment becomes a barrier for people with disabilities to participate, as they feel hurt and discouraged. Unfortunately, these experiences still exist in churches today.

Mr. Arnel Oroceo, a United Methodist Church member and a person who is unable to walk, emphasized how fortunate he is to have the support of his church community and how they go out of their way to assist him. “I am fortunate enough that in our church, people are always there to help me. During Sunday service, they pick me up and carry me to and from the church by vehicle. But if there is no ramp provided and without physical support, it will surely discourage me from attending any activities.”.

 

Breaking the barriers

Dr. Gay Manodon, a deacon of the Episcopal Church in the Philippines, recognizes the need to push for an educational and awareness campaign among the churches and their constituencies. “People’s indifferent behavior toward people with disabilities comes from a lack of understanding. I think if they know and understand, they will not commit hurtful attitudes towards persons with disabilities,” she said.

In reality, physical disabilities are more evident and often easier to understand, while the complexities associated with psychosocial disabilities may not be as visibly apparent. This can result in incidents of doubt regarding the validity or acceptance of the disability and the individual’s need for support.

“While riding on the train designated for persons with disabilities, the guard approached me and assumed that I was pregnant,” recounted Ms. Miryam Tolentino, a person diagnosed with a psychosocial disability.

Hope for Inclusion

“I hope churches with Deaf members will provide sign language interpreters during mass or church service. This will be a great help for them to understand and have faith,”  said Ms. China Salvo, a deaf person who works as an interpreter at Filipino Sign Language-Bible Translation (FSL-BT).

“Churches should take initiatives to reach out to other churches or institutions that have the capacity to provide free interpreters,” Ms. China added.

“I hope that our churches become more accessible structurally, equipped with understanding, and able to provide livelihood income for those with disabilities and the economically deprived,”  said Mr. Arnel Orceo.  “What is also good and encouraging in this kind of consultation is the opportunity to meet new people, a new network, linkages and support, and most importantly, the feeling that we are not alone in this kind of ministry,” he added.

Challenges

Prof. Paul Edward Muego, an associate professor of Community Development Studies at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, recommended for the Council to seriously take data profiling into consideration. This is essential for advocacy, planning, and policy development, among others.

“The challenge for us is to continue working with them. We do not really have a playbook on how to engage with the community of people with disabilities, but we learned through them as we listened to their stories. What we can do is help in their organizing work, support their efforts and initiatives, and be in solidarity with their struggle.”

This activity is supported by Act for Peace, the international humanitarian agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia. The National Council of Churches in the Philippines and Act for Peace are members of the ACT Alliance.