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The study explored the perceptions of Individuals with disabilities integration into religious communities. In-depth interviews were conducted with three adults with disabilities who were involved with Christian congregations in a Midwestern city. The data were analyzed for themes by the researcher. Themes of support, acceptance, and understanding answered the research question: What critical factors do individuals with disabilities identify as crucial for creating an environment that facilitates integration within their religious organizations? The study also identified the participants' desired activities within their religious communities, perceived barriers to meaningful participation, and self-identified factors that facilitated occupation. The results suggest the need for further research defining the various activities engaged in within religious communities, the mechanisms of discriminations within religious communities, and strategies that have facilitated successful participation for person with disabilities.
Many individuals experiencing disabilities find spirituality to be a valuable resource (Boswell, Knight, Hamer, & McChesney, 2001; Kaye & Raghavan, 2002; Schulz, 2005), and pursue connection with a spiritual community through involvement in a religion or a religious organization such as a church, synagogue, or mosque (Boswell, Hamer, Knight, Glacoff, & McChesney, 2007; Hurst, 2007). Few studies have addressed the viewpoints or experiences of individuals with disabilities participating in religious communities. Researchers have addressed the difficulties of accessibility related to attitudes, and few studies have systematically gathered or cited data. Christensen and Weil (2007) described a community-wide program that worked to facilitate the inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families into Jewish religious communities in the Minneapolis area. Collins and Ault (2010) described efforts by two large urban churches to change program offerings in order to increase inclusive practices. Webb-Mitchell (2010) highlighted the efforts of the Presbyterian Church to measure the accessibility of local churches, but lamented that studies had not addressed the degree to which individuals with disabilities are involved in the activities of local congregations or the kinds of activities individuals with disabilities are engaging in within the local congregations. The purpose of this research was to explore what assists individuals with disabilities toward involvement in religious communities.
Moberg (2008) suggested that benefits of religious engagement might be a result of the spirituality associated with religious practices. Spirituality and religion are entwined. Johnstone, Glass, and Oliver (2007) found the terms were...