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This is the latest and greatest upcoming Who Am I To Stop It event: A screening and full-day workshop about invisible disabilities and faith!
Here’s the text on the flyer: “Join filmmaker Cheryl Green for a daylong workshop on invisible disabilities. Hosted by Christ Church Cathedral, the workshop will cover issues related to invisible disability and the Christian faith and how these issues intersect with race, gender, and sexuality. Cheryl Green will also show her film, Who Am I To Stop It, an award-winning documentary on isolation, art, and transformation after brain injury.
Date and time: Saturday, February 10 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Register: Email helen@thecathedral.ca or Phone: 604-682-3848, ext. 25
Cost: $10 registration to cover the cost of lunch. Financial assistance is available for anyone who cannot pay the $10 fee.
An ASL interpreter is available upon request. Any other requests for accommodations are encouraged.”
Most people know I’m not Christian. In fact, I’m Jewish and spent a short time in Hebrew school where I met my first friend who’s Hebrew name was also Miriam. She went by that name all the time, and I’ll admit I’m still mystified how it is that I have two first names. But anyway, that was the only place in my life where I went by that name, and it was also the only place where I spoke, read, and wrote in Hebrew.
Faith isn’t part of my life anymore, but it is a huge part for some people in the documentary film. Based on the fact that at least 15% of the population is people with disabilities, I know there are people with invisible disabilities in the Cathedral’s congregation. And, OK, Reverend Dunn told me so too. I can’t speak for Christian people, and I most certainly can’t speak for the stars of my film just because I filmed them. So I’m honored to be invited to facilitate conversations about the themes in the film and about how the Cathedral community can ensure that their space, their attitudes, and their practices are mindful of disabled people’s full participation in the ways they want and need to participate. Here’s a downloadable, accessible pdf flyer for the Invisible Disabilities workshop if you want to share!
If topics around faith and disability interest you, I hope you’ll check out theologian Zaynab Shahar on the Power Not Pity podcast. The episode is called “Is God Inaccessible?” I love the way Zaynab and the host Bri talk about what it means to practice faith in places of worship that are inaccessible, both in their building design and in their attitudes. They also talk about how so much of the work you can find out there on disability and religion is around Christian faiths and is generally not focused on queer people’s needs in faith. Which is why it’s really great that they did this episode. (The episode’s audio is on SoundCloud, and the text transcript is on the Power Not Pity website.)
If you’re in the Vancouver area, and you’re interested in this talk, I really hope that you’ll sign up and come. We have a lot of cool activities planned, and you’ll get to see Who Am I To Stop It!