From the USCCB:
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If you would like the published booklet, they are available at the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Faith Formation and Lay Ecclesial Ministry (Contact Therese at 330-744-8451x297, or email Therese here).
Maureen Platt, author of Salt & Light: Church, Disabilities, and the Blessings of Welcome for All, provides a thoughtful article on helping to prepare children and adults with disabilities for sacraments. Salt & Light is available from the diocesan library (see below).
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From the National Catholic Partnership on Disability:
This 12-minute video, "Catechesis and Persons with Disabilities: A Necessary Engagement in the Daily Life of the Church," is excellent team-building viewing as it inspires and encourages us to minister to and with children and adults of all different abilities. The video inspires inclusion of all people in sacramental preparation, liturgical ministries, and community building because everyone is loved and needed in the Church. Video produced by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability for the Pontifical Council for Promoting the New Evangelization.
For people with visual impairment:
Materials provided at no charge in braille, large print and audio: Free access to over 1,400 titles related to the Catholic Church, religion, spiritual and inspirational themes in braille and audio.
Subscription services include monthly readings, prayers and responses for the Sunday Mass and selected Feast Days and Solemnities, as well as periodicals, faith formation textbooks, and workbooks for children and adults in braille.
Subscription services include monthly readings, prayers and responses for the Sunday Mass and selected Feast Days and Solemnities, as well as periodicals, faith formation textbooks, and workbooks for children and adults in braille.
For People with Hearing Impairment:
My First Eucharist is a comprehensive home preparation process for families. This six lesson program provides the necessary formation prior to the reception of the Sacrament of First Eucharist. The program provides lesson plans, activities, video library that contains lesson videos and glossary of terms in ASL.
University of Dayton Institute for Pastoral Initiatives,
for building inclusion and belonging:
The Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation (VLCFF) from the University of Dayton has courses to help with inclusive ministry in parish life. Check the VLCFF calendar for course availability:
- Bioethical Issues, Including Care for the Aging and Support for Families
- Chronic Illness: Mental Illness, Grief, Trauma Support and Counseling
- Creative Methodologies: ADHD in Parish Life - Pastoral Implications (SN 3)
- Disabilities in Parish Life: An Overview (SN 1)
- Disability across the Life Span: Prenatal Diagnosis – End of Life Care
- Faith Formation for Adults with Special Needs (SN 5)
- Fundamentals in Deaf Faith Formation Methodologies (SN 2)
- Moral Injury: When Our Pain Blocks God’s Joy
- Autism in Faith Formation (SN 4)
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The mission of the National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion "is to inspire [Catholic] schools to begin the process of becoming inclusive, to educate teachers, parents, principals and priests on what it takes to be an inclusive school and to provide the educational research and real life experiences that support it."
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April is World Autism Awareness Month
The Library has available adaptive materials from Loyola Press for sacramental preparation and prayer.
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Links from Loyola Press: 9 Strategies for How to Get and Keep Attention John E. Barone, co-author of The Adaptive Teacher, shares nine proactive attention strategies in a special e-mail series. Barone and his co-author Charleen Katra will be in your inbox each week with a different strategy to encourage practical changes rooted in respect for every child. Recognizing and Using a Preferred Interest in the Classroom Dr. Lawrence Sutton introduces the idea of using a preferred interest of a child with autism when planning lessons. Cultivating a Ministry of Presence Charleen Katra considers how we might offer a ministry of presence, sitting with another, in all the varied ways that might play out. Five Traditional Teaching Habits to Avoid John E. Barone suggests eliminating five traditional teaching habits so that classroom communication improves. Adolescence and Autism Dr. Lawrence Sutton explains that for a teacher of students with autism who are entering adolescence, there are a number of things that might be useful to recognize. National Autism Awareness Month The more you know about children with special needs, the more you can help them and their families grow in faith. How Our Daughter Has Affected Our Spirituality David and Mercedes Rizzo are the parents of a daughter with autism, and that fact led them in a new direction. How to Celebrate Mass with a Child with Special Needs Once a child knows what is expected of him or her, Mass becomes a whole lot more fun for the child, the family, and the other parishioners. |
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Catechesis for All Learners
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Presenters: Charleen Katra & Sharon Urbaniak
SESSION 1: Include Us! It's Easier than You Think!
Inclusion leads to belonging: a human need. Come learn strategies to make your catechetical ministry more effective so that all learners (ADHD, autism, etc.) feel they belong!
SESSION 2: Seeing through God's Eyes in Ministry to Children with Differing Abilities
This presentation will share ways to minister to children with special needs and their families utilizing an intergenerational program, God’s Family, which has won two awards. Learn about the format of the monthly program and the successful outcomes it has achieved. The key component is seeing each child, parent and sibling through our Lord’s loving eyes.
CLICK HERE to connect to the recordings and session handouts.
SESSION 1: Include Us! It's Easier than You Think!
Inclusion leads to belonging: a human need. Come learn strategies to make your catechetical ministry more effective so that all learners (ADHD, autism, etc.) feel they belong!
SESSION 2: Seeing through God's Eyes in Ministry to Children with Differing Abilities
This presentation will share ways to minister to children with special needs and their families utilizing an intergenerational program, God’s Family, which has won two awards. Learn about the format of the monthly program and the successful outcomes it has achieved. The key component is seeing each child, parent and sibling through our Lord’s loving eyes.
CLICK HERE to connect to the recordings and session handouts.
The Diocesan Library has these resources available:
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Opening Doors of Welcome and Justice to
Parishioners with Disabilities : A Parish Resource Guide from the USCCB is available in the Library. CLICK HERE to reserve it from the Library. |
It contains practical guidelines and suggestions including:
* Frequently Asked Questions
* Signs of an Open-Door Parish: Checklist for Evaluating Parish Efforts in Welcoming Parishioners with Disabilities
* Guidelines for Extending Hospitality
* Ideas for Liturgists and Prayer Leaders
* Ideas for Schools, Religious Education, and Youth Programs
* Bulletin Quotes and Articles
* Frequently Asked Questions
* Signs of an Open-Door Parish: Checklist for Evaluating Parish Efforts in Welcoming Parishioners with Disabilities
* Guidelines for Extending Hospitality
* Ideas for Liturgists and Prayer Leaders
* Ideas for Schools, Religious Education, and Youth Programs
* Bulletin Quotes and Articles
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AWARD WINNER!WINNER OF THE AMERICAN BOOK FEST'S BEST BOOK AWARDS FOR EDUCATION/ACADEMIC
The Adaptive Teacher: Faith-based Strategies to Reach and Teach Learners with Disabilities
by John E. Barone & Charleen Katra Loyola Press, 2019 Provides the tools to: foster a welcoming environment for everyone; understand the specific needs of learners with disabilities; adapt your teaching approach for the benefit of all; develop effective communication strategies; help learners build confidence, independence, and ownership. |
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How to Talk to Children about People with Disabilities
Charleen Katra Twenty-Third Publications, 2019 This 23-page booklet guides parents and catechists to help children learn how the words we use, the looks we give, the food, clothing, and shelter we share are all important in reaching out to others, especially the most vulnerable among us. |
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Different Gifts, Same Spirit: Creating an Inclusive Learning Community
by Peg Bowman Loyola Press, 2018 This 30-page resource contains lesson plans, reproducibles, and family pages for program directors, catechists, and parents to teach children to practice inclusion in their classrooms as well as in their homes and communities. |
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Salt and Light : Church, Disability, and the Blessing of Welcome for All
by Maureen Pratt Twenty-Third Publications, 2018 Sets out pastoral guidelines and practical steps covering evangelization, catechesis, participation, privacy issues, spiritual vocations, and more to benefit both persons with disabilities and the rest of the parish community. Read a brief excerpt from this book at Catechist Journey HERE. |
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How to Welcome, Include, and Catechize Children with Autism and other Special Needs
by Lawrence R. Sutton Loyola Press, 2013 A guide for creating a program that connects children who have special needs with faith mentors, providing catechesis using existing resources, and enriching the faith of the entire parish. |
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Handbook for Adaptive Catechesis: Serving Those with Special Needs
by Michele E. Chronister Liguori Publications, 2012 Covers a variety of the most-encountered special needs, along with approaches for meeting those needs. The author discusses strategies for having fruitful dialogues with parents, and for recognizing and nurturing the gifts all children bring to their parish communities. |
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Faith, Family, and Children with Special Needs: How Catholic Parents and Their Kids with Special Needs Can Develop a Richer Spiritual Life
by David Rizzo Loyola Press, 2012 A parent of a child with autism thoughtfully explains the difficult situations that parents of special needs children face during Mass, sacramental preparation, and faith formation. He gives practical tips for nurturing faith growth. |
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Spiritually Able: A Parent's Guide to Teaching the Faith to Children with Special Needs
by David Rizzo, Mercedes McBride Rizzo Loyola Press, 2012 Both memoir and manual, Spiritually Able: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching the Faith to Children with Special Needs is a life-preserver to parents who are seeking ways to grow and nourish a deeper relationship to God and their faith for their child. |
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A Place for All: Ministry for Youth with Special Needs
by John Barone St. Mary's Press, 2008 A guide for religious education for children who have been diagnosed with neurological disorders--autism, Tourette's syndrome, and bipolar disorder--and provides information and advice to become better able to say honestly, "There is a place for all in our community!" |
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Precious Treasure: The Story of Patrick
by Elizabeth Matthews Emmaus Road Publishing, 2002 Elizabeth Matthews never expected her son Patrick to be diagnosed with autism. But she didn't expect him to become her "escalator to heaven," either, as he was decorating the walls of the family home with mud and crayon. This book describes, with candor and humor, the joys, challenges, and heartaches of raising a child with special needs. |
"Having a disability does not necessarily mean people are unable to complete a task or participate in an activity, but they may need for the activity or task to be made more accessible to them." |
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