Spirituality and Inclusive Faith Communities

Descripción del Curso

This is an ADVANCED level course and should not be attempted without sufficient grounding in the basics of the Catholic faith.

It has been said that you can judge a culture by the care that it gives to its most vulnerable members. In America, our most vulnerable members include the children, the poor, the aged, the people with chronic illness, persons with disabilities and the families who care for them. In light of Gospel values and Catholic teaching this course will examine ways to increase awareness of the needs of persons with disabilities and their caregivers and foster a true sense of community for them within the context of our schools and churches. The question is, if we say "Welcome One, Welcome All": do we really mean it?

Al término satisfactorio del curso obtendrás 2.5 UEP's.

Objetivos Generales del Curso

• Basic knowledge of church documents that relate to persons with disabilities
• Increased awareness of the extent of alienation experienced by people with disabilities and their caregivers and their desire to feel included in their faith communities
• Mastery of general do's and don'ts for successfully relating to persons with specific disabilities
• A core of knowledge to facilitate the planning of effective lessons for all students
• A conceptual base for creating inclusive Sunday liturgies
• Ability to articulate a vision of inclusion based on Gospel values
• Knowledge of scripture and key church documents about people with disabilities
• Awareness of the importance of a voice for people with disabilities
• Insight into pastoral issues relating to families who have members with disabilities
• Basic understanding MAP (Multi-Action Planning) Process & Circle of Friends
• Fundamental knowledge of learning styles and multiple intelligences
• Specific strategies to create more welcoming and supportive faith environments for people with disabilities and their caregivers

Materiales para el Curso

• Libro Requerido: Materials will be sent to you automatically one week prior to the course start date. An invoice for the $25.00 will be included with the materials.

Estructura y Contenidos del Curso

• Semana 1: Theology and Vision: Inclusive Faith Communities
  • Identify three scripture passages that show Jesus as a model of including persons with disabilities in the life of the faith community.
  • Cite Church documents that call us to more inclusion in faith community experiences
  • List some of the commonly perceived barriers and cultural challenges of including persons with disabilities in a faith community
  • Describe some possible gifts that a person with a disability and his or her family might offer a faith community
• Semana 2: Relating with People with Disabilities
  • Articulate the importance of relationships and community for persons with disabilities and their families.
  • List the steps of the MAP Process and describe its usefulness.
  • Enumerate the four steps in the Circle of Friends Exercise and list three key questions to ask when using the exercise with a group of students.
  • List five do's and five don'ts for relating to people with specific disabilities.
• Semana 3: Inclusive Religious Education: Key Components
  • Identify the infrastructure of a successful inclusive religious education program.
  • Describe the main responsibilities of an inclusive religious education coordinator
  • Define the role of a director of religious education in facilitating a program that includes students with disabilities with their typical age peers
  • List strategies to help facilitate communication between all stakeholders (administrators, catechists, parents, committee members)
• Semana 4: Creating Effective Lessons for ALL Learners
  • Identify seven steps for planning effective lessons
  • Incorporate multiple intelligence constructs to articulate a need for a change in the typical classroom teaching style
  • Explain the difference between LD and ADD/ADHD
  • Develop activities to meet the needs of students with physical and mental limitations
• Semana 5: Hospitality & Welcome at Sunday Liturgies for Persons with Disabilities and their Families
  • Assess areas for improving accessibility within their own faith communities.
  • List 5 possible supports for families who have members with disabilities.
  • Develop a list of resources that a church community could use to become more welcoming.
  • Identify ways that persons with disabilities might be able to serve the faith community.

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