Group Discussion Questions
Faith And The City Forum: Interfaith Dialogue on Public Issues

Topic/Title: "Reaching Out to Neighbors with Disabilities"
First Aired: April 22, at 7:30 AM

Faith And The City Forum is one of several initiatives by Faith And The City, a nonprofit organization that works to encourage a sense of community throughout the 20-county metro Atlanta region by amplifying the voices of the many religious traditions represented in the region.

Panelists for above discussion:

Dr. David Jenkins
Director, Faith And The City
Candler School of Theology, Emory University

Mr. Mark Crenshaw
Director, Interfaith Disabilities Network
Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities

Ms. Jan Epstein
Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters
Vice President, Interfaith Disabilities Network Board

Imam Plemon T. El-Amin
Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam

The following questions are offered to encourage discussion of this important public issue.

1. What does your faith tradition teach regarding how you should treat people with disabilities? Consider your tradition's expectations for greeting strangers and caring for neighbors. How do these expectations apply to people with disabilities?

2. Do you have a disability? Have you ever experienced even a temporary disability that placed you on crutches, in a wheelchair, deprived you of your hearing or sight, or caused a similar disruption in your life? If so, how welcoming and accessible did you find environments that you encountered? How did these encounters make you feel? If you have not had such an experience, perhaps you can share experience of someone close to you.

3. Is your house of worship designed to welcome our neighbors with disabilities? Is your workplace or you home welcoming in this regard? How can you make both places more accessible?

4. Does your house of worship seek to include people with disabilities in the life of the congregation, for example, by providing "signing translation" for people who are hearing impaired?

5. Are people with disabilities included in the life of your congregation by involving them in leadership roles or other roles that engage their particular individual gifts just as the congregation engages the gifts of other members?

6. One panelist pointed out that any of us can become disabled at any time and asked what kind of community we would want to encounter if we became disabled. If a tragic accident tomorrow left you in a wheelchair or sight-impaired, how would you answer that question?

7. If you plan to remodel an existing facility or build a new one -- whether it is a private home, house of worship, or place of work -- will you consider providing for the needs of our neighbors with disabilities? Discuss how to do so?

8. According to one panelist, Georgia ranks number 50 in state-support for people with disabilities. He suggested that congregations should lobby together to improve such support. How can you help in that regard?

9. Has this program or the associated discussion of the issue led you to any new ideas, insights, or resolve regarding this issue. If so, what will you do differently?

For more information, visit the Atlanta Alliance on Developmental Disabilities site, which includes access to the Interfaith Disabilities Network site: http://www.aadd.org.

To learn more about accessibility for private homes, visit the AARP site: http://www.aarp.org/universalhome/.

There is a quick and easy way to express your view on any public issue to our elected and appointed leaders: You can find email addresses for hundreds of leaders from the local to the national level by visiting the "contacts" section of our website at http://www.faithandthecity.org. Why not email your views to your representatives in city, county, state, or federal government? You can do it now by clicking here.