Disability across the Life Span: Prenatal Diagnosis – End of Life Care

Course Summary

This course will examine disability at all ages and stages of life, including pre-natal and end-of-life considerations, within the context of Catholic parish life and teaching. A global and U.S.-national overview of disability prevalence and key considerations will provide participants with important context for understanding the presence of disability in their faith communities.

Special attention to faith formation and parish ministry for persons with disabilities will enable Course participants to consider ways they might better and more fully welcome persons with disabilities into parish life Also included are discussions of use of technology to more fully welcome persons with disabilities into parish life and other methods of communication that create a sense of belonging for all members of the faith community.

Successful completion of this course earns 2.5 CEU's.

General Course Objectives

• To demonstrate an understanding of the key life stages and how disability can be present and impacted during them;
• To articulate the Church’s approach to contemporary issues concerning disability-related topics such as pre-natal, childhood, adult, and end-of-life information and research.
• To have a working knowledge of resources, including technology, that parishes can use to educate, support, and work alongside persons with disabilities throughout their lives;
• To cultivate awareness of the role of the caregiver and how parishes can support them
• To communicate the importance of full welcome for persons with disabilities in parish communities, especially persuading those who may not yet understand the potential of this blessing

Course Materials

• Required Book: Pratt, Maureen Peace in the Storm: Meditations on Chronic Pain and Illness Image, 2005 ISBN: 978-0385510790
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• Required Book: Pratt, Maureen Salt and Light: Church, Disability, and the Blessing of Welcome for All Twenty-Third Publications, 2018 ISBN: 1627853375; ISBN-13: 978-1627853378
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Course Structure and Highlights

• Week 1: Disability Across the Life Span: An Overview
  • To articulate key stages of life where disability can be particularly impacted by societal or aging challenges
  • To focus on the impact of parish life on all persons with disabilities
  • To learn key vocabulary and statistics regarding disability at various stages of life
  • To understand the role of the parish community in supporting and ministering with all persons with disabilities
• Week 2: Children, Families, and Disability: Prenatal and Post-Birth
  • To understand how Church teaching on prenatal diagnostics and other medical innovations informs a moral/ethical approach to decision-making within the family structure.
  • To articulate specific ways the parish community can be fully welcoming and supportive of families that are expecting or who have children with disabilities.
  • To focus on the presence of children with disabilities in a parish community as an integral part of the whole body of Christ
• Week 3: Young Adults and Disabilities: Catechesis and Participation in Parish Life
  • To understand the prevalence and challenges faced by children and young adults with disabilities (including teen suicide, violence, substance abuse, and sexual promiscuity)
  • To focus on catechesis and church ministries as important ways to engage and encourage young adults with disabilities that their lives are valuable and their contribution to the faith community is welcome
  • To articulate resources within the parish and the community beyond where all, especially teens with disabilities, might find additional resources and support
• Week 4: Adults with Disabilities: Abundant Gifts, Varied Vocations
  • To articulate Church teaching on persons with disabilities and the Sacraments, especially Confirmation, marriage, and Holy Orders
  • To understand the unique personal, spiritual, and professional challenges that adults with disabilities face
  • To recognize the importance of self-advocacy in adults with disabilities and understand helpful terms and phrases that make the way smoother for the parish community
  • To learn about resources that can be helpful to persons with disabilities as they discern their purpose beyond living day-to-day with health challenges.
• Week 5: Aging and Disability: So Shall We All…
  • To articulate key vocabulary and statistics regarding disability in older adults
  • To understand Church teaching on end-of-life measures and euthanasia (“right to die”)
  • To learn some helpful communication techniques to educate and persuade persons in the parish community of the numbers and importance of older members of the body of Christ and why it is important to address disability-related issues with them, too.
  • To become familiar with resources for further information and practical support of ministry with persons with disabilities in the parish community

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