A newly forming UU affinity organization, Equual Access, is the topic for March. The Equual Access mission includes promoting equality and access for UUs with disabilities and comprehensive accessibility throughout our faith community. In addition, Equual Access pledges to advocate for full inclusion in our faith community by identifying, countering, and dismantling ableism and will advocate for people with disabilities throughout our larger world community.

We live in an ableist society that devalues persons based on various physical, sensory, mental health, and intellection disabilities, and vies privilege to those who are not disabled. Equual Access will be an anti-ableist group of folks with a variety of disabilities and their allies. It is known that each disability is affected by ableism in different ways and persons with disabilities have their own unique identities, challenges an solutions, ableism potentially can unite oppressed persons in a group dedicated to resistance. This does not diminish the challenges and solutions of each specific disability identity; instead it is an affirmation of the multiple layers of identity of every individual.

Some of the actions planned include: Creating an atmosphere of openness and acceptance of persons with physical, sensory, mental health, and intellectual disabilities; educating all UUs about the social justice implications and impact of disabilities on our denomination and in our culture; affirming the spiritual needs of congregation members and friends with disabilities; developing and adopting accessibility policies and practices that endorse and ensure the full inclusion of members, friends, and guests with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner; working with our UUA, the Journey Towards Wholeness Transformation Committee (JTWTC), and districts on disability-related social justice policy issues of non-discrimination and access; and encouraging all persons with disabilities and their allies within the denomination to join in this effort.

All of us are welcome to be part of this new transformative organization. It essential that we work together to take responsibility to create a community of encouragement, compassion, and hospitality and to be sensitive to possible conflicts…willing to work toward solutions, accepting that some of our differences may not be resolvable. Most important, all of our decisions must be democratically.

I encourage you to be a part of our annual District Assembly in Sarasota later this month and LOOK FORWARD to being with many of you. It will be a great meeting, entertaining, and fun! Please introduce yourselves when we are together. Stay in touch: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 813-931-9727.