The Passing of a Hero

The passing of Nelson Mandela this week reverberated throughout the world.  Rarely has a human being received such universal acclaim and appreciation for his presence on earth.  Mandela represented the highest ideals of compassion, forgiveness, truth, honesty and love.  

So it is not surprising that he also spoke eloquently of the needs and rights of people with disabilities in our society.  Here is what he said,

"It is not a question of patronizing philanthropy towards disabled people. They do not need the patronage of the non-disabled. It is not for them to adapt to the dominant and dominating world of the so-called non-disabled. It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognize the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity." 

We mourn the passing of this great man.  The world is poorer today because he is not in it.

Mark Bernstein

Growth Consultant, Central East Regional Group and UUA Liaison to Equual Access

Getting There

As it pertains to issues around disability and accessibility, General Assembly 2013 in Louisville went, from my perspective, pretty well.  The workshop on creating inclusive worship services with Suzanne Fast, Sarah Dan Jones and Amy Carol Webb was well conducted and very well attended.  The Equual Access booth was busy with many ribbons, business cards and literature being handed out, many questions being answered, and many new relationships being formed.  The convention center was, as far as I knew, physically accessible. And the language during group worship and plenary sessions was generally appropriate and respectful.

So, all in all, I think it went okay.  However, there were a few times during the week when people were not as sensitive as they should have been.  We still have a long way to go in raising the consciousness of people around hurtful words and phrases and the suggestion of concepts that demean an entire group of individuals.

The most grievous example of this came during the Sunday Morning Worship and the sermon delivered by the Rev. Dr. William Schulz, President and CEO of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee and former President of the Unitarian Universalist Association.  In his opening remarks, Rev. Schulz said, “I have been preaching to Unitarian Universalists now for more than forty-four years. One of the definitions of mental illness is doing the same thing over and over again without appreciable effect. Thank you, Peter, for giving me one more opportunity to prove my sanity.”  This was followed by uproarious laughter in the hall, including the dignitaries on the stage behind him.

First of all, Rev. Schulz, that is not one of the definitions of mental illness.  Secondly, it is not true that all people with mental illness do the same thing over and over again without appreciable effect.  Thirdly, I know many people who do not have a diagnosis of mental illness who do the same thing over and over again without appreciable effect.  Witness my New York Mets.

But the worst thing about these remarks was the effort to squeeze some laughs out of a blatantly stereotypical and negative profile of a particular class of persons.  Imagine what would have happened if, for example, Rev. Schulz had begun his sermon with, “One of the definitions of a lesbian is…”; or  “One of the definitions of an Hispanic is …”  At the least, it would have been met with stunned silence.  At most, it would have resulted in cries of protest and people leaving Plenary Hall.

Yeah, we still have a ways to go.  But I’m hopeful.  I truly believe that while words may sometimes divide us and preconceived ideas, judgments and assumptions may sometimes hurt us, if we pay attention to these things; if we give voice to it and speak out against it; if we strive to understand others with compassion and empathy, we will prevail.  And General Assembly will truly become the beloved community.

As the author Jose N. Harris said, “I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.”

With respect,

 Mark Bernstein, CERG  Consultant and UUA Liaison to Equual Access

Being in Right Relationship: It’s all Monkey Business

At Emory University, researchers Sarah Brosnan and Frans de Waal conducted a fascinating experiment on the sense of fairness. They taught brown capuchin monkeys to swap tokens for food. Initially, the reward was a piece of cucumber, a food that capuchin monkeys were only too happy to work for. But when the researchers started rewarding some monkeys with grapes, a food that monkeys much prefer over cucumbers, and rewarding others with cucumbers, the latter group immediately took offense. In some cases, they refused to comply with the task. In other cases, they took the food but refused to eat it, and in some cases, they threw the food at the researcher. You can see a hilarious YouTube video

Scientists say that this research suggests that human’s sense of justice is inherited and is not a social construct. The experiment demonstrates our natural reaction to become angry or frustrated when we are treated differently from others or when we see others obtain or achieve things that we aspire to obtain or achieve as well.

Being in right relationship with people who have documented disabilities is more than etiquette. It is more than being polite. It requires that we treat others equally and fairly; that we work as hard as we can to ensure that everyone has the same opportunities, the same resources, and the same rewards. It stems from the basic belief that if I am eating grapes, all those around me should be eating grapes as well.

In our Unitarian Universalist congregations, this sense of justice and fairness is actualized through a proactive stance in making physical accommodations so that people with mobility issues can access our buildings, our classrooms, and our sanctuaries. It means acquiring or adapting equipment and other resources so that people can hear better, see better, and worship better. It means embracing the gifts and strengths that are inherent in everyone and looking beyond the images that cause us to stereotype and distance ourselves from others.

Victor Hugo wrote, “Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just.” As Unitarian Universalists, we must begin doing the difficult so that everyone in our faith has equal access. In other words, we need to stop monkeying around.

Mark Bernstein
CERG Growth Consultant and UUA Liaison to Equual Access

What's In a Word? by Carolyn Cartland, Vice President of Equual Access

Carolyn Cartland

When the Equual Access board chose the monthly theme for March a few months ago, we didn’t know how appropriate it would be. The March theme we selected, “What’s in a Word? Do the Words We Use Matter?”, is an apt description of the discussion now taking place on the “Standing on the Side of Love” blog. You may have seen it; if not, I recommend it. We are all invited to comment on whether the use of the word “standing” may be alienating to people with disabilities, how this issue may be impacting folks in our communities, and how ableism has affected our lives. I encourage everyone to make their opinions known below, on the Equual Access blog or on Access-l, the UU open forum for people who are interested in matters relating to accessibility. You are invited to join others who are committed to creating a faith community in which all people are truly welcomed into all aspects of congregational life. for UU. To view the sermon which initiated this conversation, go to the sermons web page for the Unitarian Society of Hartford, Connecticut and click on "2-12-12 Standing on the Side of Love - Rev. Katie Lee Crane."

At the Equual Access board meeting on March 7, we discussed this topic. We decided that words do matter to us, that words can change behavior and open minds, and that certain language presents opportunities to increase awareness of “the other” while other uses of language can limit understanding of others’ experiences. We understand that, initially, it may seem as though we are being “nit-picky”, “politically correct”, or “overly sensitive”. We are sympathetic to that perspective but weren’t those same comments made when women first objected to the sole use of the pronoun “he” in UU hymns, readings, and sermons? Weren’t similar comments made when the GBLTQ community objected to words that they deemed offensive? Who gets to decide if a word is offensive or not…the person offended or the person using the word? How do we show our belief in the “inherent worth and dignity of every person” if not by the language we use?

At our board meeting, we decided to pursue this conversation. We believe it is a valuable one for all of us, those with disabilities and those without, because at the very least it may open minds and hearts by providing a different perspective on the experiences of those whose lives are different from our own. Ableism, like sexism, heterosexism, racism, ageism, and all other forms of oppression, is alive and real in our culture; as in all forms of oppression, language is one of its most powerful tools. We encourage everyone to use this powerful tool in ways that are respectful, inclusive, and constructive. Whether SSL ultimately chooses to remove the word "standing" from the name of this social justice campaign or not, we believe this dialogue is necessary for the campaign to be inclusive and respectful of all people.

How Are Accessibility and Justice Connected?

Justice is an integral part of doing right. Of course, justice is more than defending others or setting things right. Justice includes the concept that things will be as fair as possible. One instruction on just behavior is as follows:

Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

plead the case of the widow.

It is important that as Unitarian Universalists, we examine the application of fair and justice practices to all levels and types of work that we do. An attentive examination of the treatment of disabled people, both in congregations and beyond, will show that there are many ways that people with disabilities can be oppressed, can need their cause to be taken up, or could benefit from having their case passionately pled.

Consider that in a traditional justice setting, on January 25, 2012, United Cerebral Palsy of Oregon and Southwest Washington filed a class action lawsuit against Governor Kitzhaber and top managers at the Department of Human Services. The lawsuit alleges that more than 2,300 Oregonians with mental or physical disabilities have been placed in sheltered employment situations in which they work for less than minimum wage and have almost no contact with non-disabled peers. A favorable outcome in this lawsuit could begin a revolution of fair wages and inclusive employment.

What does the pursuit of justice mean for congregational life? At least at my church, FirstUnitarian Church of Portland, we are fond of saying that the doctrine of the church is Love. I believe people expect that to be true. People assume that disabled congregants and visitors to the congregation will be treated fairly. It isn’t always apparent to the congregation when access is missing. But when one person comes to church, but they can’t hear the sermon well enough to understand it because there is no assistive listening equipment available, is that fair? When another comes to church but they do not feel welcome and valued because there are barriers to their entry or to their seating, is that fair? For most of these kinds of problems, individual attendees will not institute lawsuits meant to rectify problems and include the largest number of people possible.

The solution must lie with the church itself and with the congregation itself. The church must use the broadest means of inclusion possible, whether this means sign language interpretation or large print bulletins, or even remodeling to allow people with mobility issues access to all the parts of the building. There is one small congregation on the Oregon coast undertaking just such a project. In order for people using wheelchairs to gain access to the upper level of the church building, the church will need a lift. Even though the congregation is not a large one, they press on to finance the change by collecting cans and taking other steps toward the goal.

Accessibility matters because the central tenets of Unitarian Universalism include the ideas that divine Love is for everyone, and everyone is loved the way they are. This means now, not when it is convenient to include a door opener or when there is a surplus of money to install a needed chair lift. Right now, anyone may come. This means that for now, until the configuration of the building matches its purpose and possibility, we may have to be creative in broadcasting services to accessible parts of church campuses or resourceful in finding sign language interpreters for services or events. The alternative is offering God’s limitless love to those who have able or mostly able bodies; and that’s no alternative at all.

Theresa Soto is a member of First Unitarian Church of Portland, a member of EqUUal Access, a thinker, and a maker. On Twitter: @titasoto and blogs at http://inexplicablebeauty.tumblr.com/http://inexplicablebeauty.tumblr.com/