The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s Task Force on Addressing Ableism has officially changed its name to the Task Force on Ability and Inclusion, through a motion passed at the September 2024 ELCIC National Church Council meeting.
“We had been working with our new name for quite some time now,” shared task force co-chair Jodey Porter. “We received our NCC approval just last week after asking for permission to officially change the name. Our ELCIC staff person, Carmen Ramirez, brought the proposal forward, and the change was made.”
Porter, the Anglican representative on the task force, explains that the name change aligns with a significant philosophical shift within the church.
“This is more so about what Christians can do rather than what law courts can do,” she said, noting that the word ‘ableism’ tends to focus more on barriers and discrimination, while ‘ability and inclusion’ is about putting the Church’s mission forward.
“’Ableism’ doesn’t quite spring off the tongue,” she continued. “Over the last 40 to 50 years, so much has been achieved in terms of accessibility, human rights and really tearing down those accommodation barriers; it’s an extraordinary and epic battle, but it will never be done. With the Human Rights Commission, protocols and frameworks, it’s all out there. But it’s important as churches that we comply and pay attention to those issues.”
Porter, who is blind, says her work towards human rights heightened when she lost her sight, but it had always been a lifelong mission.
“I am a proclaiming disabled person,” she said. “I lost all my vision about three years ago. But I have been a human rights commissioner in the past. I fought for disabled rights all my life – that’s just who I am. I think the work with this committee is super important; what we inherited was the wonderful and exceptional work of the previous committee on ableism. And it’s now just the next level forward and focusing on accepting everyone’s gifts in a whole communion, in a whole body, and in a wholeness of ability that we all share together as one congregation.”
Serving as co-chair of the task force alongside Porter is Rev. Nadine Schroeder-Kranz, of St. Peter’s in Zurich, ON.
“Jodey has a very strong church background, but also a unique perspective, as her disability is much newer, rather than being lifelong,” Rev. Schroeder-Kranz said. “And with her lead, we have been able to follow some of the recommendations from the former committee to diversify the leadership in the larger church. And I’m proud to say that we really do have a very diverse group. As per the recommendations, I think we are really shaping an attitude in a way rather than just doing something physical.”
Through this name-changing process, Rev. Schroeder-Kranz has been able to adapt her thinking on the word ‘ability.’
“It can be more of a universal term, to which we all have some kind of ability,” she said. “But the question is more about what we do to uplift the abilities that people have, and to be able to uplift people with psychological disabilities. This means being sensitive to their needs, as well as equipping them to be able to share their gifts with the church in the same way you do with somebody who wasn’t disabled.”
Exactly how the Church can respond to this change of attitude and shift in philosophy? Easy, she says. Education within congregations is the first step.
“Our aim in all of this is not to necessarily only focus on removing barriers – although that is a part of it – but the focus that we’d like the committee to do through devotional Bible studies and case scenario learning is to ask congregations how they can uplift all people with their individual gifts, and maybe even ask them how they can be of better assistance to them so that they can share those gifts with others. So, instead of highlighting disability, we want to talk about our abilities and what we’re capable of, rather than what we are not capable of. And this is something to consider in all areas of life, not just at church.”
