In Jeremiah 8:21-22 God shows his grief over the lack of recovery among his people. It shows how God's heart is affected by the impairments of his people. "Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?"
I can vividly picture the Lord saying this with a great degree of sincere anguish. Why? Because God wants people to have access to recovery. Reading the above verse carefully while also considering best practices from the Americans with Disabilities Act, the following points should be noted.
- Health is an important issue to God.
- It can bother God when people are blocked from accessible recovery options that already exist. There is a "balm in Gilead." Recovery options do exist!
- Make sure the events and gatherings that we set up are fully accessible for people with disabilities.
- When events or activities are not accessible to people with disabilities, it can really be a sign of inconsideration and not being a good shepherd who knows his/her flock.
Practically speaking, what does accessibility look like? There are many facets to it. Here are just a few (of so many) items to consider.
- Are meeting places accessible to people who use wheelchairs?
- If there is even one step without an accessible ramp (or elevator) nearby, then such a place is not accessible.
- Perhaps the entrance is accessible, but are the bathrooms accessible? In other words, can a wheelchair be rolled side-to-side next to a toilet so a person can transfer themselves with the aid of a grab-bar on the wall?
- Are aisles wide enough for a person in a wheelchair to get through?
- Is there preferred seating set aside in large meetings for people who use wheelchairs? Hold open spaces for wheelchairs in the front of a meeting. This way, if/when the rest of the people stand up, the person in a wheelchair can still see what is going on.
- For people with learning disabilities or emotional disorders, is the material covered in a meeting spoken so quickly, that they are completely left behind and discouraged?
There are whole books, articles, courses, and laws devoted to how to make things more accessible for people with disabilities. The above list is really just to wet our appetite, and help us to see that creating an accessible environment shows people with disabilities the respect and consideration that everyone desires, especially God.
You can read more about disability and accessibility issues from a Christian perspective in my book Mental Health and Holiness.