Annotated Bibliography In Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets (Beacon Press, 2008), Craig Rennebohm with David Paul offer a selected bibliography of books. Books marked with an asterisk (*) in the list below are reviewed elsewhere in this website. Boisen, Anton. The Exploration of the Inner World: A Study of Mental Disorder and Religious Experience. Chicago and New York: Willett, Clark, 1936; reissued Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1971. Boisen, Anton. Out of the Depths: An Autobiographical Study of Mental Disorder and Religious Experience. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1960. Bhugra, Dinesh, ed. Psychiatry and Religion: Consensus and Controversies. Oxford, UK: Koutledge, 1996. Damasio, Antonio. Looking for Spinoza: Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain. New York: Harcourt, 2003. Galanter, Marc. Spirituality and the Healthy Mind; Science, Therapy, and the Need for Personal Meaning. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005. Govig, Stewart D. In the Shadow of Our Steeples: Pastoral Presence for Families Coping with Mental Illness, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 1999. *Govig, Stewart D. Souls Are Made of Endurance; Survival of Mental Illness in the Family, Binghamton, NY: Haworth Press, 1994. Gregg-Schroeder, Susan. In the Shadow of God's Wings: Grace In the, Midst of Depression, Nashville, TN: Upper Room Books, 1997. Howell, Patrick J. Reducing the Storm to a Whisper. Chicago: Thomas More Press, 1985. Howell, Patrick. A Spiritguide: As Sure as the Dawn through Times of Darkness. Lanham, MD: Sheed & Ward, 1996. Kenig, Sylvia. Who Plays? Who Pays? Who Cares? A Case Study in Applied Sociology, Political Economy and the Community Mental Health Centers Movement. Amityville, NY: Baywood, 1992. Koenig, Harold. The Healing Power of Faith: How Belief and Prayer Can Help You Triumph Over Disease. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. Nouwen, Henri J. M. The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society. Garden City, NJ: Doubleday, 1972. Oates, Wayne E. The Religions Care of the Psychiatric Patient. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1978. Rennebohm, Craig. Souls in the Hands of a Tender God: Stories of the Search for Home and Healing on the Streets. Beacon Press, 2008. My first reading of Rennebohm’s book brought tears to my eyes. It came at a time of my own family’s crisis over how to relate to one with schizophrenia. This book is not for the comfortable. It is for those who dare to better understand and minister to men and women living on the streets with mental illness. Souls in the Hands… will challenge complaceny and stereotypical thinking. Rennebohm’s poignant stories demonstrate what true companionship is like. His own battles with depression have gifted him with deep insight into human frailty and God’s gracious presence in suffering. A discussion guide makes this book a fitting choice for adult education classes. - Carole Wills, Reviewer Torrey, E. Fuller. Nowhere to Go: The Tragic Odyssey of the Homeless Mentally Ill. New York: Harper and Row, 1988. Zohar, Danah, with I. N. Marshall. The Quantum Self. New York: Morrow, 1990.

Reflections from a Different Journey Edited by Stanley D. Klein, Ph.D. and John D. Kemp Reviewed by Linda Jean H. Larson, M. A. T. Coordinator, Committee on Disabilities, National Council of Churches USA What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew, Reflections from a Different Journey is a must read for anyone disabled or non. It is excellent for anyone who is exploring disability for the first time as well as those well versed in the area of disability. Its greatest asset is the openness that comes across by all the writers. In the introduction to the book, the essayists are introduced to the reader as “...ordinary, accomplished individuals-they are not superstars” (pg. xvi) on a different journey. This frames the conversation that takes place within the book. One gift that What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew, Reflections from a Different Journey offers is an openness that touches one with humor, anger, reflection, sadness, pain, and “aha” moments where I learned something new or where I felt connected for the first time because the writer spoke of my own experience. Although it touched upon spirituality, I was left wanting more in this area. A second gift is the approach that the editors took in focusing on the voices of adults with disabilities as they pass on their life experience. This is truly a remarkable perspective because, “our disability culture is transmitted from one of us to another, peer to peer” (pg. 197). No other culture is passed on this way. This is what gives the book its integrity and uniqueness. There is a diversity of disability (i.e. visible disabilities, sensory loss, physical disabilities and invisible disabilities such as autoimmune conditions, mental illness, autism) as well as a diversity of occupation, age, education, male and female voices throughout the book. This is well thought out except for the diversity of culture, which may have been included but not specifically stated. The complexity of living life with a disability is well brought out by introducing such topics as institutionalization, labeling, special education-good and bad, human reaction of oppression and fear, from personal stories. There are five sections in What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew, Reflections from a Different Journey, each with a series of short essays around a specific topic. They are, “Love and Accept Me as I Am“, “Parental Expectations”, “Sexuality”, “Education About Disability”, and “Afterword: Disability Culture”. This is an excellent way to edit the book. The reader can read straight through or pick and choose essays for perusal. This is very inviting.

“Love and Accept Me as I Am”

There is an essay by Gregor Wolbring, “Parents Without Prejudice“, that speaks to a timely and sensitive topic and that is a “disability rights approach within the field of bioethics” (pg. 20). Rather than basing life and death decisions in the field of bioethics on a medical role model of disability which views disability as something that needs to be fixed and an individual concern, individuals within the disability community are calling for a paradigm that honestly speaks to the negative values society has about disability and the institutionalization of those values. I smile at the comment made by Mark Enston in his essay, “Take Me as I am (pg. 29), “People expect people with disabilities to be humble, conservative, thankful, and, worst of all, mega do-gooders. How boring!”

“Parental Expectations”

This section I find to be very reflective. In “The Rules of the “Game“”, Jeff Moyer writes, “Acceptance is a requirement for happiness, ...a deep, openhanded and openhearted acceptance” (pg. 47). In “Giving our Children Roots and Wings“, Barbara Ranmaraine speaks of her learned experience both as a child with a disability and a parent of a child with a disability, “Love sets us free; pity imprisons us” (pg. 123). She also cautions, “Hopes for the future are an important part of growing up and a life without dreams is impoverished” (pg. 124).

“Sexuality”

Few books offer the opportunity for persons with disabilities to be seen as sexual beings. In, “Relational Realism“, Jennifer Malatesta speaks to the heart of the issue, “If people with disabilities are led to believe that they cannot expect loving relationships, they may become willing to accept emotional, verbal, or physical abuse as a twisted legacy” (pg. 133). Persons with disabilities are twice as likely to be abused as the non-disabled. Yet is clear that “Each and every person is worthy of love, and no physical, emotional, or mental disability should preclude it”( pg. 135).

“Education About Disability”

Although this section is about educating oneself about disability, I found two articles that I feel are MUST read for all educators, most especially for those in the regular classroom. They are, “Twice Exceptional“, by Kassiane A. Sibley, a must read for educators and, a very moving essay, and “Learning Was Always Hard for Me“, by Damaris A. Mills, which offers practical advice for an inclusive classroom.

“Afterword: Disability Culture” By John D. Kemp

So, what is disability culture? John Kemp states this succinctly; “we are connected as a culture because of shared indignities inflicted upon us by poor architectural planning and design and by others’ stereotypically negative assumptions about us. We are also connected by the frustration and anger that well up once in a while when we tire of dealing with prostheses, scooters, and sores-and that makes us search for understanding by someone who has been where we find ourselves” (pg. 197). Many discount that there truly is a disability culture. By definition, shared experience, that which binds us together, is culture. This concept is where the book leaves us to reflect. This is how is should and needs to be. Kemp also leaves us with one inspiring thought by Carol Gill, Department of Disability and Human Development, College of Applied Health Sciences at the University of Illinois. People with disabilities have a heightened acceptance of human differences...People with disabilities consider interdependence an essential aspect of our lives. People with disabilities use humor-the ability to find something absurdly hilarious in almost anything, however dire-without it becoming self-deprecatory. People with disabilities have an ability, acquired over time living with our disabilities, to read others’ attitudes and conflicts in order to sort out, fill in the gaps, and grasp the latent meaning in contradictory social messages. Enjoy, peruse, and reflect. We are all on different journeys. What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew, Reflections from a Different Journey poignantly and aptly describes mine, along with 54 million others in this country. I urge you to read this engaging book. -------------------------- Order this book from www.disabilitiesbooks.com Reposted from NCC Home Page

The following publications about making buildings accessible are available at Partners for Sacred Places : Accessible Faith: A Technical Guide for Accessibility in Houses of Worship (2003) By Elizabeth A. Patterson and Neal A. Vogel, published by the Retirement Research Foundation. The core of this 52-page guide deals with practical solutions to eliminating physical, auditory, and visual barriers, and to improving signage, in older houses of worship. The authors use a variety of case examples and support the text with many photographs, drawings, charts, and diagrams and also include information on who is affected by a "disability", as well as the basics of accessibility laws as they pertain to houses of worship. They conclude the guide with sections covering the design, funding, and construction processes. Loving Justice: The ADA and the Religious Community (1995) By the National Organization on Disability. A guide to the Americans with Disabilities Act's effects on religious institutions and congregations. An explanation of the ADA requirements for some tenants of religious properties is included. Money and Ideas: Creative Approaches to Congregational Access (2001) By the Alban Institute and the National Organization on Disability. A source of ideas for raising money for disability access. Congregations will be inspired to think creatively about their situations and to make affordable, incremental changes to enhance worship for members and visitors alike. That All May Worship: An Interfaith Welcome To People With Disabilities (1994) By the National Organization on Disability. A handbook to assist congregations and denominational groups in welcoming people with disabilities. Interfaith in scope, it offers suggestions for building modifications to accommodate people with all types of disabling conditions.

Twelve easy-to-read Turtle Books provide a non-threatening, storytelling bridge of understanding with friends and siblings of children with physical and mental disabilities. Jason & Nordic Publishers PO Box 441 Hollidaysburg PA 16648 814-696-2920 See curriculum resources at www.jasonandnordic.com.

The Rev. David C. Johnston Library Bequest For a bibliography, contact theLancaster Theological Seminary. (David Johnston chaired the National Committee of Persons with Disabilities from 1984–1988. A broad spectrum of books about disabilities written in last two decades given to Lancaster Theological Seminary library. Phone 717.290.8707 or 717.290.8742. From UCC DM Newsletter Archive

An Annotated Bibliography Compiled by the Health and Welfare Ministries Program Department, United Methodist Church

UCC Disabilities Ministries has published many excellent, but largely under-utilized, resources. The following is a brief description of these resources:
A History of Disability Advocacy in the United Church of Christ by Albert Herzog ($3.00). Available from the Office of UCC Disabilities Ministries.

The Local Church and the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

is a comprehensive overview of the ADA as it legally and morally affects the church community. How-to's, cost figuring, and examples of barrier removal are concisely discussed. Relevant terms are well-defined. The Local Church Accessibility Checklist and the illustrated guide of Building Code Specifications can be invaluable when contracting for renovations and spending limited funds on architectural access.

Is Everyone Welcome? A Guide to Ministries with Persons with Disabilities

is a newly updated publication. This booklet is designed to help congregations become truly accessible to all. The authors encourage a searching inventory of potential architectural and attitudinal barriers. A variety of disabilities, both obvious (mobility impairment) and unseen (traumatic brain injury, mental illness) are discussed.

Practical Helps for Church Ushers

is a tri-fold brochure for ushers and others providing specific recommendations for welcoming persons with visual, hearing, speech, and mobility impairments, as well as developmental disabilities and mental illness. This resource is frequently used as a sensitivity training tool for education in interpersonal communication skills. Basic suggestions ease the uncertainties many people feel upon greeting a person with a disability.

Respite Care and the Church

is written for congregations that include children and adults with disabilities and chronic illness who require continual care. This is a resource guide that promotes awareness and the ability to establish a Respite Care Ministry to give periodic relief to caregivers.

Resources for Worship on Access Sunday

includes scripture and liturgy, sermon ideas, and worship resources for ministry with people who have disabilities in celebration of UCC Access Sunday, the second Sunday in October. Easily duplicated.

NCPWD Resource Folder

includes the resources listed above and a periodically revised bibliography of suggested resources for ministry with persons with disabilities. The Resource Folder also contains the UCCDM newsletter and inserts on disability etiquette, "person-first" language, Christian education of adults and children, strategies for accessibility with minimum cost, and multi-sensory worship ideas. The folder contains important information and materials from the UCC Mental Illness Network (MIN). These resources can be ordered from UC Resources: Letters from My Sisters - Words of Wisdom and Comfort for Women Living with a Brain Disorder Commonly Known As Mental Illness Letters from My Sisters - Words of Wisdom and Comfort for Women Living with Disabilities Mosiac Series, --In God's Image