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LDS Disability News

A Father Indeed

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Outstanding video of a father and his son who was born with Down syndrome.

Spreading the News About the New Disability Site on LDS.org

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The good news about the new disability site is spreading, it has recently shown up in a number of places:

The homepage of LDS.org:

Disabilities.lds.org has recently been launched to help members with disabilities and their families participate more fully in Church meetings and activities. In addition to providing information on various disabilities, this new section includes suggestions and resources for leaders, teachers, caregivers, and Church members.

New Disability Section on LDS.org

Exciting News! There is a new section on LDS.org dedicated to disability information. This is a great resource for individuals, families, teachers and leaders. From the site:

This Web section on disabilities has been created to offer support, comfort, and an increased level of acceptance toward those with disabilities.

LDS Disability Resources

Article on Individuals with Autism and Their Families in Church

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An excellent article by Sharisa Lewis in Meridian Magazine titled Helping Autism Families Survive Church. She discusses the struggles that her own family had in Church and how one family made a difference. From the article:

Teaching the Gospel to Children With Disabilities Story from LDS Newsroom

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Teaching the Gospel to Children With Disabilities is a short article from the LDS Newsroom that discusses adapting classes for children with disabilities.

Taking Autism to Church from Meridian Magazine

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In an article in Meridian Magazine, Sharisa Lewis writes abouts experiences at Church with her 4-year old son who has autism.

Why is church so hard for autistic children? The answers can vary as widely as the children. Initially, I thought our child was just being difficult, but autism specialists have advised me that church is hard for most autistic kids.

Taking Autism to Church

The Spirituality of Parenting from David Dollahite

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David Dollahite is a professor in the School of Family Life at BYU's School of Family Life. He has written extensively on the involvement of fathers with their children with disabilities, in addition to providing many other resources for fathers. A few months ago he was interviewed by Krista Tippett of the excellent public radio program Speaking of Faith on the spirituality of parenting and he specifically addressed the spirituality of children with disabilities.

Personal Experiences with Disability from the Bloggernacle

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Kim Sevier from Our Thoughts writes about his experience in discovering that he has a learning disability and the impact it has had on his life in the area of his religion. He also offers some methods that have helped him to concentrate during his prayers and scripture reading...

New and Improved LDS Ability

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There haven't been any updates to the site for quite awhile, but we have been working on a few projects behind the scenes...

First of all, there is now a user registration that you can sign up for.

Q: Why would you want to sign up?

A: So that you can go to the new message board to introduce yourself and meet lots of other great visitors.

Young Women Who Have Disabilities

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There is a new page in the Young Woman section of LDS.org titled Young Women Who Have Disabilities. The page includes this statement:

Young women who have disabilities are normally included in their regular classes. Exceptions may be made with the approval of the parents and the priesthood leaders. Flexibility may be needed in utilizing the approved programs to meet the needs of these young women.

Ensign Call for Disability Articles

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Last month on page 79 of the Ensign this call for articles was issued:

Are you a Church member with a physical disability? Or are you a caretaker, teacher, or leader of someone with such a disability? We invite you to submit personal accounts of how you or others have adapted Church programs or materials to fit the needs of those with physical disabilities.

Please send your submission (500 words or less) by August 21, 2006, to ensign@ldschurch.org or to Ensign Editorial, 50 E. North Temple St. Rm. 2420, Salt Lake City, Utah 84150-3220, USA. Clearly mark your submission “Adapting,” and at the top of your submission, write your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and ward and stake (or branch and district).

2006 BYU Women's Conference Disability Sessions

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A few weeks ago, we posted some information on two disability presentations from the 2006 Womens Conference.

The first presentation is titled PDF Document Dealing with Disabilities from Sandra Ruconich, Mary Ann Prater, Roselyn Baird is a PDF document of 28 slides from their presentation divided up into three categories:

  1. Parents and Schools: Fostering Child-Centered Partnerships
  2. Tips for Church Members and Teachers
  3. How to Serve Those with Disabilities and Their Families

Down Syndrome Discussion

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Over at the LDS blog, Times and Seasons there was recently a post that stated, "It is wicked to kill an unborn baby because the baby has Down’s Syndrome". The more than 200 replies to that statement that follow provide an interesting discussion on the value of a life of a person with a disability.

In case you don't want to wade through all of the discussion, I have highlighted a few of the comments below:

Part-time Service Missionary Opportunities for Members with Disabilities

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While serving a full-time proselyting mission may not be an option for some members, there are many other opportunities to serve as a part-time service mission assignments. However, finding a good opportunity and going through the process of receiving a call can be a difficult process. To help in the process, LDS Ability has set up a new page with some tips, ideas and links to helpful resources.

Part-time Service Missionary Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.

Taking Care of Rick Hoyt, a Four Part Series

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From the Mormon Mommy Wars Blog come 4 posts on the author Heather's experience as a personal care attendant (PCA) for Rick Hoyt. Heather provides a frank and insightful recounting of her experiences with Rick. I have provided a few excerpts below, but the posts are worth reading in their entirety, along with the comments: