Plenary, 25 Mar 2009

Meeting date: Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Official Report 406KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

Good afternoon. Our first item of business this afternoon is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is the Rev Dr W Graham Monteith, who is secretary to the Scottish Churches' Disability Agenda Group.

There are two very important freedoms: the right to political expression and the right to religious participation. Over many decades, those freedoms have been denied to groups of disabled people. Despite vast improvements in both fields, whenever disabled people are questioned about the churches they comment adversely on their lack of integration and welcome. The Scottish Churches Disability Agenda Group seeks to promote integration in all churches and in other faith communities.

Legislators often pass anti-discriminatory legislation with the best of intentions, but institutions such as the church often fail to implement any more than the letter of the law. Integration goes beyond the ramp and the accessible toilet, to care for people who have sight impairments, learning difficulties or mental health problems.

For example, ministers continue to say, "Let us all stand to sing a hymn" and then sing hymns about the "inly blind", and they may conceal their mouths from people who lip-read. May God hasten the day when the Parliament has an MSP who uses a wheelchair. You, too, will have to adjust your language.

I want to suggest two ways in which each of us can contribute to greater integration in congregations of any faith. All disabled people have gifts that often go unnoticed because they are prevented by barriers from taking part in normal activities. There is a Pauline doctrine of watching a seed blossom when it is given the nurture to grow. We must endeavour to make sure that no gifts remain hidden by the obstacles that we place in the way of full participation in church life beyond the ramp, the hearing loop or accessible texts. To achieve that, our group would like to see congregations appoint disability champions to help improve integration.

Secondly, disabled people are often very lonely. Watching television is sometimes their greatest pastime, networking is difficult and the demands of modern communication are often intimidating. They require friendship—the type of friendship that is offered by Jesus, which is solicitous and copious in its offer to others. Churches are obliged by their calling to offer such friendship—not as a pat on the head, but as a true seeking of a role for each disabled person in the life of their faith community.

I ask you, as members of this Parliament, to remember the two imperatives of integration and friendship in all your work, not least should you belong to a faith community.