From Access to Communion: Beyond the Social Model

ABSTRACT

The author discusses the public policy implications of current models of disability, arguing that the Americans with Disabilities Act represents the shift from medical to social models and that this shift has resulted in significant progress toward social and economic inclusion for those with disabilities. Yet this vision of society remains incomplete, as the current emphasis on individual accommodation has not led to fundamental social transformation. Drawing on resources in contemporary theologies of disability, the witness of L'Arche, and the author's experience as the parent of a child with significant intellectual and physical disabilities and complex medical needs, the essay calls those with and without disabilities to a life of communion and mutual giving and receiving.

KEYWORDS:

• parent
• intellectual disability
• disability studies
• L'Arche

Note

Notes

1. The first book in this series, Living Without Enemies: Being Present in the Midst of Violence (Wells & Owen, 2011) was followed by three books by Sam Wells, A Nazareth Manifesto: Being with God (2015), Incarnational Ministry: Being with the Church (2017), and Incarnational Mission: Being with the World (2018).