From dependence to interdependence: Towards a practical theology of disability

Abstract

Disability has remained on the fringes of research in Africa in general and Southern Africa in particular, especially in the field of theology. Its glaring absence constitutes an indictment against both church and society, revealing in the process both the church’s and society’s penchant for a dependence paradigm which has been the paradigm with respect to issues of disabilities and people with disabilities. Using the participatory method with its proclivity for bringing to the fore the voice of the ‘other’ and the marginalised, both the dependence and independence paradigms within the context of disability are put under scrutiny. In the process and through the voice of people with disabilities, the practical theological paradigm of interdependence emerges as the most appropriate and friendliest one, as it resonates with both the New Testament notion of koinonia through love and the African notion of botho through interconnection. The practical theology of holding each other in arms resonates with the theology of embrace that has been popularised by Volf within the context of much hatred and alienation. All these different dimensions of the theology of interdependence become the bedrock for inclusive and respectful treatment of each other irrespective of race, gender,

The Perceptions of Persons with Disabilities, Primary Caregivers and Church Leaders regarding Barriers and Facilitators to Participation in a Methodist Congregation

“…Entrenched in bias and stereotypes, the pervasive definitions that associate disability with incapacity or abnormality continually hurl persons with disabilities to the fringes of society where they are often patronised, dehumanised and subjected to discrimination, neglect and abuse (Ochs, 2014). They are familiar with exclusion, not only from society at large but also from their own faith communities (Gurbai, 2014;Leshota, 2015). In these settings, the negation of their value is unveiled both practically and abstractly, ranging respectively from the physical inaccessibility of church buildings (Möller, 2012), to the fixed intangible traditions that prohibit sharing certain sacraments with those who cannot verbally express their understanding of the rituals (Peters, 2009).…”

Museum Activism

“…Although personalisation undoubtedly enabled many learning disabled people like Eddie to live more autonomously, the concepts underpinning the broader self-advocacy movement; 'autonomy,'' independence,'' self-determination' and 'personhood' are problematic (Burton and Kagan 2006;Graham 2010). Some argue that these are unattainable concepts, both practically and philosophically (Shakespeare 2000;Leshota 2015), and both practitioners and researchers have, instead, drawn attention to the interdependency of all people, claiming 'interconnectedness, kinship and relationality' are the 'defining features of what it means to be human' (Leshota 2015: 4). Work within disability studies that problematises autonomy has also acknowledged the importance of interdependence in resisting binary definitions (McRuer 2006).…”

Un debate entre lo personal y lo público: la interdicción como pretexto

“…A pesar de que han pasado varias décadas desde el desarrollo de este concepto, son pocas las investigaciones que documentan las voces de las personas con discapacidad respecto a esta ruta. No obstante, la investigación del sudafricano Leshota (2015) rescata algunas narrativas que pueden esclarecer lo que implica este concepto para las personas con discapacidad. Al respecto es relevante traer parte de una conversación que surge en dicha investigación: "Paul: 'So you mean non-disabled people depend on you in some instances!'…”