• USCCB Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities
• Welcome & Justice for Persons with Disabilities: A Framework of Access and Inclusion
• Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities (Revised Edition)
• https://www.usccb.org/resources/pastoral-statement-persons-disabilities

• Making Mass and the other sacraments more accessible
• Educating parishioners about how to engage
• Inviting volunteers to share their gifts in creating activities
• Fellowship opportunities for parents
• Faith formation: inclusion PREP, family catechism
• Reserved seating next to exits
• Broadcasting to outdoor areas, Narthex/lobby, sensory rooms, school playground and making folding chairs available with signage
• Livestreaming if families need to listen at home or take a break in the car
• Multiple options, if possible, for different sensory profiles
• Assigning a Eucharistic minister to cover these areas
• Inviting families to tour/visit before attending Mass to frontload familiarity with the church environment, symbols, and holy water
• Providing coloring pages or worksheets for children
• Loaning flip cards or sturdy children’s books for use during Mass (Ascension Press, Holyheroes.com)
• Gluten-free hosts as an option for Communion Link: https://altarbreadsbspa.com/ 
• How to create modified curriculums and incorporate layered teaching/programming and accommodations
• Ideas to organize, train, and recruit peer buddies/ big sister/big brother aides, and incorporate parent and parishioner aides
• Escape hatches to outdoor enclosures or sensory rooms
• Make brochures available in the narthex/lobby on how to engage with families with special needs
• Include short articles on mental health and developmental disorders in the bulletin
• Humorous and heroic stories abound that pastors might anonymously use in their homilies
• Share their artwork and poetry in the narthex and bulletin, invite them to sing or perform as part of the liturgy or Christmas/Easter celebrations

Following the example of Jesus, The National Catholic Partnership on Disability works with dioceses, parishes, ministers, and laity to promote the full and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the life of the Church.

NCPD promotes this ever-evolving mission to renovate and sustain ministry to-and-with all people with disabilities and their families through the following initiatives:

1.     Leads and participates in trainings, workshops, and regional meetings

2.     Gathers and Develops Resources

3.     Participates in International Ecclesial Conferences

To Learn More, Visit: https://ncpd.org/ 

The following network of experienced Special Needs Ministers/Leaders are here for you if you have any questions to start, expand, or enrich your Ministry: 

Dr. Joyce Show

Internal medicine for Individuals >18 yo with developmental disabilities and their caregivers & Peer life coaching for parent-child dyads with special needs

[email protected]

818-790-7611 Internal medicine for Individuals >18 yo with developmental disabilities and their caregivers: www.joyceshow.wordpress.com 818-790-7611

Peer life coaching for parent-child dyads with special needs (regional center vendored): honoreveryvoicelifecoaching.com  
 

Nancy Brady

Inclusion Specialist and Assistive Technology Specialist for non-speaking autism

[email protected] 

(949) 412-0502

Maria Nagy

Sacred Heart Parish (Coordinator, San Diego)

Coordinator Open Hearts Ministry

[email protected] 

(703) 203-5668

Andrea West

Diocese of Orange-Chair Special Education Ministry

[email protected]

(714) 920-4214

Julie Gomez

St. Luke Parishioner/Kyo Resources

[email protected] 

(626) 601-7849

Cecilia Chang

Spectrum of Hope Foundation

[email protected]

Sandi Ames

CAN (Collaborate/Advocacy/Navigator) Child Advocate/Parent Mentor

[email protected] 

A significant part of a child’s development will be determined by their school environment, academic placement, and the academic curriculum that guides their learning. A child’s initial Individual Education Plan (IEP) is critical. This important document will lay the groundwork for the types and level of services that a child will receive throughout their academic years. It is essential that parents put sufficient time and effort into preparing for their first and subsequent IEP meetings.

Click below to see important steps and guidelines that can help you prepare for your first IEP:

https://learnbehavioral.com/blog/10-tips-for-navigating-the-ieps

TACA provides education, support, and hope to families living with autism. TACA provides the following:

                                                           TACA offers much more, please visit: https://tacanow.org/ 

Collaborate/Advocate/Navigate (CAN) is an umbrella for three programs that are designed to provide education and training opportunities, resource coordination, and support to individuals with disabilities, their families, educators, therapists, and the community at large.

The mission is to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to education, recreation, employment, and community integration in the least restrictive environment possible.

This wrap-around approach increases the opportunity for individuals with disabilities to achieve self-determination, integration, and inclusion in all areas of community life through access to information, training, and support for all stakeholders.

                                                To Learn More, Visit: http://collaborateadvocatenavigate.org/ 

The mission is to promote the importance of early diagnosis and intervention for children on the autism spectrum. We provide 1:1 mentoring for accessing services as well as advocacy grants. 

www.spectrumhope.org 

COPAA’s mission is to protect and enforce the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families. Our primary goal is to empower marginalized community members to secure high quality educational services and to promote excellence in advocacy.

https://www.copaa.org/ 

For teens & adults with special needs, Oasis Bible Study meets Wednesdays from 6:30-8:00 pm in Room 115. It is a night of fun and fellowship! Together we eat snacks, share praises and happy news, worship, hear on-topic bible lessons, read scripture, share prayer requests, and pray. Come get to know and follow Jesus better.

Contact:
Gretchen Moss, Special Needs Coordinator
Email: [email protected] 
Tel: 213.570.2901
https://www.paznaz.org/english-worship/special-needs/ 

 

Filling a gap in ministries of priority. 

The Nourish for Caregivers curriculum spans the concerns and priorities most needed--right now--in our churches, including:

•     pastoral care

•     disabilities services

•     senior ministries

•     care for Alzheimer's and dementia

Nourish for Caregivers is a turn-key, lay-led ministry to support and empower caregivers at the parish level. Nourish provides the tools to minister based on the tenants of our Catholic Faith. 

With its proven curriculum, Nourish for Caregivers compliments and extends the ministry priorities with resources and outreaches to families in your Diocese. 

To Learn More Visit: https://nourishforcaregivers.com/

 

Kyo is a child-centric ABA therapy provider with a mission to provide high-quality, effective, and convenient ABA therapy services to families of children with autism.

 https://kyocare.com/




 

Family Voices is a national organization and grassroots network of families and friends of children and youth with special health care needs and disabilities that promotes partnership with families–including those of cultural, linguistic, and geographic diversity—in order to improve healthcare services and policies for children.

https://familyvoices.org/

College Living Experience (CLE) is the industry’s leading provider of post-secondary support, including coaching for academics, social skills, independent living, career development, and executive function for neurodivergent young adults on a college or career path.

In the U.S., 1 in 5 children are neurodiverse. It’s common for students to struggle with cognitive strategies while trying to gain the academic knowledge they need to earn a degree or certificate at the collegiate level.

https://experiencecle.com/