PARTNERS IN DISABILITY
May 1, 2025 Community Conversation with other Disability Ministry Leaders
at the end of the Disability & the Church 2025 conference at McLean Bible Church (Tysons Corner, Virginia).
We were led by Dr. Erik Carter, Dr. Jason La Shana, & a team from the Baylor University Center for Developmental Disabilities.
Working Together
JP’s Ability Hope works in partnership with other people & organizations to provide opportunities to thrive for people affected by disability/mental health/trauma.
We have learned many things through the expertise of some of the following organizations.
Organizes the Disability & the Church conference (largest annual conference of its type in North America). Provides resources, training & ongoing support to help churches welcome individuals & families impacted by disability, mental illness & trauma. Steve Grcevich, Beth Golik, Larah Roberts.
Helps churches partner with people who have disabilities to serve, contribute & lead in the church. Curriculum, videos, books, free stuff & more to start or grow your ministry. Ryan Wolfe.
Comes alongside families impacted by disability by providing R.E.S.T. (Recreation, Education, Support & Training). Summer camps in 4 states. Consults with churches. Joe & Jen Butler, Janell Peterson.
Helps churches & families teach & disciple learners with disabilities. Adapted Bible curriculum designed specifically for disability ministry & home discipleship. Ready to print monthly adapted Bible stories & visual supports. Courtney Jenkins.
Equips faith-based communities to become more autism-friendly. Tonya Nash.
Invests in research, training, outreach & clinical services that promote the flourishing of people with disabilities, their families & communities. Erik Carter, Jason LaShana.
Help churches start a disability inclusive ministry or expand an existing one. Make Bible stories accessible with assistive technology. David & Samantha Jones.
Hosts Bible studies, seminars, trainings & other events to equip others to minister to people affected by disability. Mentor, train & create adapted Bible study materials for people with disabilities. Jill Miller, Felicia Grandinette.
Loves & serves families of children, adolescents, & young adults with profound intellectual disabilities through short-term, overnight respite care & holistic family support services. Regularly throughout the year, parents send their children with disabilities to our “respite resort” in Vienna, VA, or one of our camp locations around the country for 24-48 hour stays. The kids get a fantastic experience in a safe, fun, loving & celebratory environment.
Provides love, support & resources to parents of individuals impacted by disabilities. Equips ministry folk who serve these families. Tom, Julie & Amy Meekins.
Part of the All People movement of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Offers training, best practices & resources to make churches more welcoming places for people & families with disabilities. Quarterly online support & training group. Ben Johnson, Jolene Philo.
Helps women who live with bipolar disorder to overcome hopelessness by sharing lived experiences, resources & incorporating God’s Word. Jesslyn McCutcheon.
Gigi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Centers
Free purposeful programs. Playhouse locations worldwide.
Joni & Friends was founded by Joni Earackson Tada after she was in a diving accident as age 17 in 1967 that left her a quadriplegic. In 1979, JAF was officially founded. Since then, JAF has developed a plethora of ministries, as well as established multiple offices in the U.S. & internationally. They offer multiple family retreats in the U.S. & internationally. They collect wheelchairs to distribute to people with disabilities in developing countries. International Disability Center is based in Agoura Hills, California.
LifeTown is a 53,000 square foot fully inclusive and accessible center (Livingston, New Jersey) where everyone celebrates and experiences life together. It offers a myriad of opportunities for recreation, education and therapeutic play aimed at providing a comprehensive slate of programming for individuals with special abilities and their families.
Nathaniel’s Hope / Buddy Break/Make ‘m Smile
Buddy Break (3 hour respite program for special needs families) hosted by churches nationwide. Trains buddies. Make ‘m Smile events hosted nationwide. Hopetown project developing in Florida. Tim & Marie Kuck, Kari Cheng.
Nurturing Care / Nazarene Theological Seminary
One focus of the Nurturing Care project is addressing elementary school-age children with autism. It will work with an ecumenical network of Kansas City churches to offer caring nurture to this growing segment of the population. Dean Blevins.
Overcomer Ministries - Disability Ministry Solutions
Our vision is for people of all abilities to have access to learn about Jesus, worship with fellow believers, grow in discipleship and serve in ministry. We strive to reach this goal by providing consultation, training, tools and resources to churches, ministries, and the public to overcome obstacles to Jesus. Charla Holst.
An interdisciplinary team of researchers, mental health professionals, and children’s ministry experts who provide trauma-informed children’s ministry resources that empower the Church to reach the hurting kids in our congregations and communities. Robert & Lori Crosby, Kayla Smith.
Provides events, resources & curriculum for families impacted by disabilities or chronic illness. “By the Brook” retreats. Becky Davidson, Steve Chatman.
Fully-accredited, faith-based college in Union Grove, Wisconsin for students with intellectual & developmental disabilities. Progressive residential program with accredited tracks in Culinary Arts, Horticulture & Technology. Tracy Terrill, Lori Konopasek.
Exists to transform the lives of special needs families. Empowers them to SOAR in their local & faith communities. Organizes camps, support groups & training. Stephen “Doc” Hunsley.
A dad-to-dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Large library of podcasts. Virtual & physical support groups in different regions. David Hirsch
Creating a world for kids with intellectual difficulties in Zambia (southern Africa). Eric & Holly Nelson.
Caring for special needs families one event at a time. Parents of special needs children enjoy a complimentary night (dinner) out while their children with disabilities and siblings are cared for and entertained for 3 to 4 hours by 1-on-1 volunteers in a special-needs adapted carnival-like atmosphere. Steve & Denise Coutts.
Night to Shine proms for people with special needs, ages 14 & older, in 56 different countries & all 50 U.S. states. Rising Light Ridge will be a barrier-free ministry campus on a 3,000 acre property within the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. Shine On seeks to connect guests at Night to Shine to churches during the rest of the year. Christa Smith.
Helps caregivers in families affected by disability to walk abundantly in life, faith & relationships. Larry & Lisa Jamieson.
Helps schools, churches, camps & parachurch agencies become communities of belonging & flourishing for all. Thomas Boehm, Ryan Gallagher.
Our mission is to provide resources that support faith formation and congregational inclusion with individuals with disability.
Disability ministry online resource center specifically for children’s ministry. Provides free videos, resources & consulting to help equip churches. Creating a series of Adapted Kids Bible Story videos specifically designed to support the learning needs of students with intellectual & developmental disabilities. Each Bible video comes in American Sign Language, Video Descriptions, French, Portuguese & Spanish versions. Barb Stanley, Leah Whicker.
Dr. Steve Grcevich, Founder & CEO of Key Ministry
Tracy Terrill (Shepherd’s College)
Steve Coutts (Special-Parents.org)
Larry & Lisa Jamieson (Walk Right In Ministries)
Ryan Wolfe (Ability Ministry)
Tom, Julie & Amy Meekins
(Champions 4 Parents)
Joe Butler (Ability Tree)
Hiram & Jolene Philo
Ken Tada (Joni & Friends)
The Shoppes at LifeTown (Livingston, New Jersey)
Tim & Marie Kuck (Nathaniel’s Hope / Buddy Break / Make ‘m Smile/Lifetown)