Creating Space for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Christian Education/Sunday Schools

“My daughter is a soul who needs to know Jesus too!” said Dr Soumya, mother of Anna, a child with developmental disabilities and a participant at the third National Conference of ED in 2022.

This need expressed by parents/caregivers and families of children and (adult) children with intellectual disabilities, that they find no place for their children in Sunday Schools and spaces of Christian Education in our churches in India was taken up as one of the foci of Engage Disability in the Triennium between 2023-2025.

Children with intellectual disabilities face barriers that are unique to their disabilities. Therefore the needs of such children are diverse, necessitating diverse barriers to be addressed. Our Sunday School and Christian Education spaces are not yet equipped to address these diverse needs as it involves conscientizing teachers in Christian education, modifying the ethos of Sunday schools, and the methodologies to be employed in engaging children with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities.

The solution is not to have separate Sunday Schools or Christian Education spaces for children with intellectual disabilities, but to understand how to change the way we do things in existing Sunday schools so that such children feel welcomed, and “temporarily able children” benefit from the gifts and joy that children with intellectual disabilities bring to learning spaces.

Keeping this in mind, Engage Disability brought together agencies and churches already involved in creation of Christian Education resources/Sunday School curriculums and interfaced them with special educators with expertise in learning methodologies specific to dealing with children with intellectual disabilities as well as those with expertise in integrated education that included children with disabilities.

A wide spectrum of ecumenical partners in Christian Education across denominations were involved in this consultation. All India Sunday School Association (AISSA), India Sunday School Union (ISSU), VBS Ministries, Scripture Union (SU), Christian Education Department of CSI Synod, Nagaland Baptist Church Council – Christian Education Board, Christian Education and Disability Departments of CSI Karnataka Central Diocese, Arpana Special School, Bangalore, Elwin Special School, Satchiapuram, TN, Child Focus India &  All India Assemblies of God Children’s Department, Global Team 1for50, CE Department of Evangelical Church of India, and Gospel Fellowship of India (GFI) Church were represented at this consultation. SEVA Bharat and CEEFI could not participate but are committed to this process as well.

We hope that the learning will be carried forward for wider impact in all churches in India so that the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in Sunday Schools/Christian Education will reach churches across the board.

The sessions covered a wide range of topics including an introduction to learning disabilities/ developmental disabilities/Specific learning disorders; terminologies related to disabilities; types of developmental disabilities; identification of behaviours related to various learning disabilities and the role of Sunday School teachers; collation of methodologies and resources used in Sunday Schools; hands-on learning using case studies of children with learning disabilities and how to intervene; child psychology and learning milestones; and how to help children with disabilities to learn by managing behaviours, developing appropriate lesson/ learning Plans, building peer support and using the agency of children to help children, having conversations with resistant parents of children with developmental disabilities and parents of children without disabilities in Sunday schools.      

Ms. Jubin Varghese, special educator working with children with disabilities at Emmanuel Hospital Association for over 20 years and holding a degree in psychology; Ms. Mouna Siddappa, founder of A Different Tune and certified special educator with over 14 years of experience working with children with special needs, and Ms. Daniella, Coordinator of the South Asia Youth Network (SACYN) with a background in special education, were the three resource persons who led the sessions at the consultation along with interactions facilitated by Jessica Richard, National Coordinator of Engage Disability.

Out of the interface in this consultation Engage Disability will build tools/guidelines that could be tested with trainers of Sunday School teachers, and this resource will, hopefully, enable all entities in Christian education in India to work towards becoming spaces of learning that are welcoming of children with developmental and learning disabilities as well.

               

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